17 Facts About Charles Norwood

Charles Norwood was a civic leader, his knighthood was awarded for public services.

Charles Norwood was a member of the Wellington Harbour Board for more than 30 years from 1918 to 1935 and from 1938 to 1953 and its chairman from 1931 to 1933.

Charles Norwood served an apprenticeship as a mechanical engineer and, after working in the mining and sugar industries, migrated to New Zealand in 1897.

Charles Norwood married Rosina Ann Tattle in Wellington on 22 October 1903, and the couple went on to have three children.

Charles Norwood modelled the Wellington Free Ambulance on similar services in Australia funded by Golden Casket lotteries in Brisbane, and Maryborough and in Newcastle, New South Wales.

Charles Norwood then resolved to start a free ambulance service in Wellington, which continues to dispatch ambulances to this day.

Charles Norwood was regarded as a public-spirited man of great service to his community.

Charles Norwood beat his competition to winning the Dominion's sole agency for the best selling English cars Morris by using his influence to go out with the Harbour Board's pilot boat to the ship on which W R Morris later Lord Nuffield was arriving in Wellington.

Charles Norwood was a prominent member of the Wellington Rotary Club.

Charles Norwood was instrumental in helping Rotary set up the New Zealand Crippled Children Society in 1935 and was the inaugural vice-president of that organisation.

Charles Norwood was able to convince Lord Nuffield, on his 1935 visit to New Zealand, to donate 50,000 pounds to the newly established NZCCS.

Charles Norwood's trademarks were a cigar and his goatee beard.

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

Charles Norwood began in the motor business the same year incorporating a company in 1913, Dominion Motor Vehicles Limited.

Charles Norwood acquired premises in Courtenay Place through to Tory Street, the new buildings incorporated a ladies waiting room.

Charles Norwood had agencies for Maxwell and Chevrolet together with the Hudson and Essex franchises.

Charles Norwood surrendered his drivers licence on his 95th birthday.