Page 120 - They Also Served

1944, Norrie retired from the army with the honorary rank of lieutenant-general and a knighthood, and was appointed as the governor of South Australia.
Norrie had been widowed in 1938, leaving him with three children to support. He married again and had a second, younger, family of three children, including the last born while he was governor. The Norries threw themselves into the Australian way of life, and their love of the outdoors and the sea appealed to their hosts. A picture of him relaxing on a raft with his ADC and dog, surrounded by sundry children of all ages, was widely circulated. The Norries visited every town in the state and welcomed every ship bringing Australian servicemen back to Adelaide. His wife and two eldest daughters embraced various charitable causes and, such was their popularity, that he was extended in post for a further four years until 1952. In a move sure to appeal to an Australian, Norrie described his greatest achievement ‘down under’ as catching, with rod and line, a shark weighing over a ton.
Such was Norrie’s success as a governor that he was immediately made the governor- general of New Zealand, where he and his family were equally appreciated. One of his official duties was to welcome Edmund Hillary back to New Zealand after his successful ascent of Mount Everest in 1953. Retiring in 1957, he was created Baron Norrie, of Wellington in New Zealand and of Hawkesbury Upton in the County of Gloucester. Lieutenant-General 1st Baron Norrie GCMG GCVO CB DSO MC died on 25th May 1977.
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