Engineer Norman Lumsden, part of a design and production team that introduced improvements to the North Sea oil industry, has died aged 77.
During his time at Hunting Oilfield Services he worked on a number of innovative projects including the use of lightweight alloys able to withstand harsh subsea conditions.
Norman was also an accomplished basketball player who played basketball to a high level in his younger days but continued playing into his 60s.
His working life took him from Scotland, to England, Norway, the United States and Brazil but the family finally settled in his home city of Aberdeen.
Early life in Seaton
Norman Lumsden was born in 1943 to Alec and Edna and grew up in School Drive, Seaton, with his older brothers Zander and Alan.
He attended Linksfield Primary School and then Old Aberdeen Secondary School where he was runner-up dux.
He left school at 15 and started an apprenticeship as a millwright with Mills of Jopps Lane, where his interest in engineering developed.
Norman began attending evening classes five nights a week to gain an ONC before going on to gain an HNC in mechanical engineering from Robert Gordon Institute of Technology.
Working holidays
During term holidays, Norman and a friend would travel to London where he would work as a welder.
Back in Aberdeen, Norman played for the Varsity Basketball Club and was awarded his blues for outstanding sporting ability. He also enjoyed cycling and youth hostelling.
In 1966 he met his future wife, Lorraine, at a dance a at RGIT.
They began to date but Norman then secured a job as a design engineer with Hotpoint in Peterborough.
Marriage
Over the next three years they kept in touch by letter and telephone before marrying at Bucksburn Church in September, 1971. Their reception was at the Queen’s Hotel, Aberdeen, before a night at the Atholl Hotel followed by a week’s honeymoon in Ballater. The couple would have celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in September this year.
The couple then moved to Peterborough where Norman kept up his interest in sport and played for Peterborough Jets and Thistle basketball team.
In 1976, their daughter, Fiona, was born.
After moves to work for Hoover near Glasgow, and Sunbeam, East Kilbride, the couple returned to Aberdeen in 1980 where Norman began work with Hunting Oil Services where he was awarded the design council award for his work on the Merlin connector as well as securing a range of patents for his engineering design work on a range of connectors.
Norway
He was required to travel to Norway for 10 days at a time. He did this for about two years before the couple decided to move there in 1999.
Norman began work with FMC Kongsberg Subsea in the same year, mentoring young engineers.
From his base in Norway, he travelled for work to the US and Brazil and, when not working, both Norman and Lorraine enjoyed exploring Norway and learning the language.
Innovation
Norman, his colleague Phil Jacques and a team of 10 engineers created a titanium riser for use on the Heidrun platform in the Norwegian sector. The riser’s ability to withstand subsea conditions meant no corrosive allowance was needed and so the overall size of the platform could be reduced.
They finally returned to the UK in 2009. Norman swam and cycled daily and enjoyed socialising at The Prince of Wales pub, and he finally retired when he was 70.
The family’s announcement can be read here.