Charles Norwood

Sir Charles John Boyd Norwood (23 August 1871 – 26 November 1966) was a prominent Wellington New Zealand–based businessman with interests throughout New Zealand and Australia. He was a civic leader, his knighthood was awarded for public services. Founder chairman (1927–1966) of the Wellington Free Ambulance he served on the Wellington City Council from 1917 to 1923 and he was for one term, 1925 to 1927, twenty-second Mayor of Wellington. He 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.

Biography Norwood was born in Gympie, Queensland, Australia, in 1871, the son of Marion Norwood and John Boyd Norwood. He served an apprenticeship as a mechanical engineer and, after working in the mining and sugar industries, migrated to New Zealand in 1897. and the couple went on to have three children.

In 1935, 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. In 1953, he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal.

Career C B Norwood had settled in Wellington by the turn of the century and was a senior manager of The Wellington Gas Company. Supplier of the only modern source of energy for heating lighting cooking the Gas Company was highly entrepreneurial and he was active outside his regular post in civic industrial and sporting affairs. 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. Norwood began in the motor business the same year incorporating a company in 1913, Dominion Motor Vehicles Limited. He acquired premises in Courtenay Place through to Tory Street, the new buildings incorporated a ladies waiting room. Courtenay Place remained his business's base 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. The New Zealand representative of Rolls-Royce his always new Rolls-Royces were a familiar sight about Wellington. 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.