personality
by Mike Brufal
Reggie Norton and Archbishop Dom Helder Camara — the most famous Latin American liberation theologian
Reggie Norton:
a Man of Many Parts
Reggie Norton, 75, is a man of many parts: Old Etonian, barrister, Town Clerk of Gibraltar for almost a decade, Oxfam field director and trustee, passionate supporter of anti-slavery, campaigner on climate change, ardent Gibraltarian lobbyist and member of his parish council. Reggie’s great grandfather, John Norton, an Englishman and Anglican, joined the colonial service and was appointed Chief Clerk at the Government Secretariat. One of John’s sons, Cavendish, was in charge at the City Council, another son (Reggie’s grandfather) was also in government service and finished his career as Chief Revenue Inspector. Reggie’s father was Assistant Colonial Secretary and adviser to seven governors on relations with Spain. During the 2nd world war the family was evacuated to Rabat and then Madeira where Reggie learned fluent Portuguese. Soon after returning to Gibraltar he was sent to board at Summerfields preparatory school, Oxford and passed into Eton College at the age of 12. He was the first Gibraltarian to be sent to Eton. After leaving Eton he did his six month national service with the Gibraltar Defence Force and was in intake No 14 which included Louis Triay, Peter Isola and Charlie Piccone. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet and become friends with a wide selection of Gibraltarians.
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Reggie went up to Oxford University in 1952 with Charlie Piccone (Charlie to Trinity College, Reggie to Christ Church). Also up at Oxford was Louis Andlaw who tried to persuade him to box as he felt that Reggie, a Eton middleweight champion, had a good chance of gaining a ‘blue’. Reggie turned down the invitation and instead played rugby for fun as a wing three quarter for his College team. One regret was that he was there when
A call was received from Brigadier Sam Chambers advising he was about to call out the troops to restore order. Sir Joshua told him to do no such thing
Roger Bannister broke the four minute mile but knew nothing of it until he read it in the newspaper. He read jurisprudence and ate the requisite number of dinners at Lincoln’s Inn to be called to the Bar and then to the Bar in Gibraltar. Together with Charlie Piccone and James Fraser-Luckie (who although living in Jerez was born in Gibraltar as his father wished him to be a British rather than a Spanish citizen — whilst waiting for the birth, a house in Irish Town was rented from the Russo family) he formed the Spanish Society of Oxford University. James played the guitar and so at the inauguration meeting the three Gibraltarians sang the popular Spanish songs of the day. Arriving back on the Rock to begin his legal career, he was given a room in his cousin (his mother was a Stagnetto) Guy Stagnetto’s chambers. But his heart was not in the law and after five years working as a lawyer he decided he was not cut out to be a barrister and looked for a career in another discipline. He heard about a position in the City Coun-
GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JANUARY 2009
6/12/08 16:21:19