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-third 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.

Norwood was born near Maryborough, Queensland, Australia. He modelled the Wellington Free Ambulance on similar services in Australia funded by Golden Casket lotteries in Brisbane, and Maryborough and also in Newcastle, New South Wales. 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. The hospital would not send their ambulance so as a member of the Wellington Harbour Board he asked them to send their ambulance to move the patient. He then resolved to start a free ambulance service in Wellington.

Norwood was a public-spirited man of great service to his community. His substantial business, Dominion Motors, imported assembled and distributed cars. He 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. The matter was settled before the ship tied up

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