Charles Norwood

For the American congressman see Charlie Norwood

Sir Charles John Boyd Norwood (23 August 1871 – 26 November 1966) was the twenty-third Mayor of Wellington, New Zealand from 1925 to 1927. He was a local businessman, civic leader, and founder Chairman (1927–1966) of the Wellington Free Ambulance. He had been on the Wellington City Council from 1917 to 1923.

Biography

Norwood was born near Maryborough, Queensland, Australia. He modelled the Wellington Free Ambulance on similar services in Australia (Brisbane, Maryborough and Newcastle). He had seen the efficient operation of the Brisbane service, and when he saw from his mayoral car in Wellington an accident on Lambton Quay he got out and put his coat on the victim. As the hospital would not send their ambulance, he requested that the Wellington Harbour Board send their ambulance to move the patient. He then resolved to start a free ambulance service in Wellington.

His business was selling cars; he obtained the franchise for the popular Morris cars from England by going out to the ship on which Lord Nuffield was arriving in Wellington in the pilot boat. He had been Chairman of the Wellington Harbour Board.

He was a prominent member of the Wellington Rotary Club. He was instrumental in helping Rotary set up the New Zealand Crippled Children Society (NZCCS) in 1935 and was the inaugural vice-president of that organisation. He was able to convince Lord Nuffield, on his 1935 visit to New Zealand, to donate 50,000 pounds to the newly established NZCCS. This donation was important to establishing the NZCCS and helping it expand nationwide. In 1939 he became the President of NZCCS and remained in that position until 1965, stepping down at the age of 94 (NZCCS rebranded to CCS Disability Action in 2008). In 1950 he donated funds to set up the CJB Norwood Trust, originally to help young adults with cerebral palsy gain work skills. The Trust is still in operation today but has broadened its scope and accepts applications from anyone in New Zealand who has cerebral palsy.

In 1966 he had been in indifferent health for some while, but was still chairman of the Wellington Free Ambulance when he died, aged 95. His trademarks were a cigar and his goatee beard. His wife Rosina was President of the Ladies’ Auxiliary from 1929 to 1955, and she was succeeded by their daughter Eileen George.

In 1935, Norwood was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal^[1] and he was appointed a Knight Bachelor in the 1937 Coronation Honours for public services.^[2]

Career

In 1908 when he was a director of Wellington's Rouse & Hurrell Charles Norwood secured them the New Zealand Ford agency from Ford of Canada. In 1912 Rouse & Hurrell changed their name to Colonial Motor Company and Norwood left to found Dominion Motor Vehicles Limited. He acquired premises in Courtenay Place where his business would remain for another 80 years. He had agencies for Maxwell (later Chrysler) and Chevrolet together with the Hudson and Essex franchises. Dominion Motors went on to obtain the Morris agency and become New Zealand's sole assembler of Morris vehicles. He surrendered his drivers licence on his 95th birthday. Soon after Sir Charles died Dominion Motors amalgamated with other assembly businesses to form New Zealand Motor Corporation.^[3]

References

• Borne Free: The Wellington Free Ambulance 1927-1994 by A. W. Beasley (1995, Wellington Free Ambulance) ISBN 1-86934-047-7
• "The History of the New Zealand Crippled Children Society's First 25 Years, 1935-1960" by H.E.Carey 362.4 Z CAR

1. "Official jubilee medals". The Evening Post CXIX (105). 6 May 1935. p. 4. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
2. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 34396. p. 3077. 11 May 1937. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
3. Mark Webster, Assembly, New Zealand Car Production 1921-1998 Reed 2002 ISBN 0 7900 0846 7