Sir Robert Henry Norman OBE (30 January 1914 – 3 April 2007) was an Australian aviator and businessman, best known for establishing Bush Pilot Airways, which later became Air Queensland.
His vision and determination brought passenger services to regional, rural and remote communities Queensland post World War II – a legacy which is still being felt today.
In 1920, a plane arrived at Maryborough, carrying a press reporter who was covering the Royal visit by the then Prince of Wales – later to be crowned Edward VIII.
When World War II began in 1939, Sir Robert in his words “kept out of it until 1941 when our army was caught in Greece and Crete and thousands taken prisoner”.
In 1947, Sir Robert helped establish the North Queensland Aero Club, along with Frank and Neville Mitchell and Liana Sugden.
It was a call out to a medical emergency on a cattle station west of Charters Towers in 1951 which set in train the realisation of Sir Robert's dream.
Sir Robert flew one of the Tiger Moths to the station to airlift Vera to hospital, but the flight back to Cairns was delayed for several days due to bad weather.
On returning to Cairns, Sir Robert discussed the idea with his solicitor, Jack Bell, who advised a limited liability company would be a better option.
It opened up much-needed air links between Cairns and the small communities of Far North Queensland, keeping them supplied when the wet season cut the roads.
By From its humble start with one aircraft, Bush Pilots Airways Limited grew to become a major regional carrier in Northern Australia.
In 1958, he was appointed an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his work in preventing loss of lives during and after Cyclone Agnes, which devastated much of Far North Queensland in March 1956.