I'm sitting here opposite the daughter of the actual designer of the Islander (my wife's father). Her father was R.E. "Dickie" Bird and he was formerly Chief Designer at Auster Aircraft. His title at BN, where he was seconded from Miles Aircraft, was Chief Technical Executive, but it was he who conceived and designed the prototype and steered it into production and we have those original drawings framed. He just never got the credit for it, which irks somewhat.
He was also responsible for the Auster AOP9 and a number of other aircraft, but the Islander was obviously the most successful.
He died last year, but would be very happy to see you all discussing his beloved Islander in this way as it soldiers on so many years later.
QDM