‘Biggest heartbreak’ for Huntly volunteer minibus driver who lost leg to illness
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A “FAIR character” well-known in Huntly has shared his pain over an amputated leg forcing him to stop driving the Huntly Community Minibus.
Norman Kinnaird (70) started volunteering with the minibus nine years ago.
Building on plenty of driving experience gained through his career, Fraserburgh-native Norman fell in love with Huntly and its community as he drove the bus.
However, only two days after his final shift, he was admitted to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary with a blood clot.
After a failed bypass procedure and the amputation of his toes, doctors had no choice but to amputate his leg.
Speaking about the bus, Norman, who won a top award for his driving efforts during Covid, said: "Quite simply, I loved doing it and I have no regrets from my time at the minibus.
"It's the life and soul of the whole area and – oh God – I just pray it stays on the road.
"Without it, the community would be up the creek.”
He added: "Debbie Haefner, the minibus coordinator, has been a wee darling to me throughout.
"And I'm going to miss it like hell, if you want to know the truth.
"I've had to stop serving the public and that's the one thing I love doing – that's my biggest heartbreak.
"I'm not even from Huntly officially, but I love it and would class the people of Huntly as my family.”
After losing his leg Norman, was moved to Woodend Hospital where he has been undergoing intensive physiotherapy.
Since leaving Fraserburgh at 15 after finishing school, Norman has worked on winter patrols with BEAR Scotland, as a road worker, and attending incidents with the Emergency Response Team.
He has also had stints as a toilet cleaner for Huntly's RB Farquhar, delivered timber for Rembrand and worked offshore as a hot metal sprayer.
But the Community Minibus, regularly used by nursing homes, nurseries, primary and secondary schools, shoppers and others, has been by far his favourite.
So far, Norman's youngest passenger has been two-and-a-half, and his oldest 98.
Norman said he would love a minibus firm to donate an automatic bus, requiring only one leg to drive, and would “beg” and “go down on bended knees” to be given the chance to continue doing what he loves.
He said: "Debbie mentioned getting an automatic but I know they don't have the money and I'm accepting of that.
"But I'm on bended knees begging somebody to donate one to us.
"If it meant a minibus company might offer us one, I'd go down on bended knees in public for it.
"Just so I can get my lazy backside back driving again.”
Coordinator Debbie said the door is open for Norman to make his return to the hotseat – and that she expects him to return after getting better.
"If we ever raise funds or find cash for an automatic bus that would be ideal, because we would have Norman back," she said.
"There's always a place for him in the driver's seat of that bus.
"It's his life, and he's passionate about it all right.
"I'm sure he'll be back."
Debbie added that Norman has always been "great" during his time with the bus and that Huntly is thinking of him.
She said: "He's a character, is our Norman.
"Community members miss him because he yaps away and gets on with everybody: young, old, whatever – it doesn't matter.
"Every week folk are asking after him. We're all rooting for him to get well and are wishing him a speedy recovery.”
After nearly a decade, Norman has also made an impact at one of the bus's top drop-off points – Huntly Tesco.
Shortly after word of Norman's difficulties spread, he received a special mention in the shop's newsletter which, when he read it, left "tears running" down his face.
"Huntly Tesco put a beautiful piece about me in their paper," he said.
"And said that if I need any help when I get out it's there waiting for me.
"I'm sorry – I'm getting emotional here. It still brings a tear to my eye to mention that.
"When I heard the news, I had to turn away from everybody in the ward because I had tears running down my face reading it.
"For an outsider to get slapped in the face with praise like that, I couldn't believe the compliment.
"I can't fault Tesco and Asda, they have both always respected us."
In fact, the appreciation shown by Tesco means Norman has a very specific plan for his first taste of post-hospital freedom.
He said: "I want to get a lift from the hospital back to Tesco Huntly, walk in the door and just shout: 'I'm back.'
"It'll give me my pride if I can do that.
"The only thing I want from the company is a Tesco fleece – so I can advertise for them.
"And then I'll just go do my normal shopping.
"That's how I want to lead my life."
A visit to the store was actually what put Norman in contact with the minibus in the first place.
He said: "I was in Huntly Tesco with my disabled son and he saw an advert on the side of Blue Bertha, my name for the old minibus, which said: 'drivers required'.
"My son said to me: 'Dad, that's something fit you can do.'
"I phoned up and that's been it since."
The Huntly Community Minibus operated fare-free for almost all of the first lockdown.
Taking folk for their essential shopping, providing lifts to medical appointments and helping people access produce from foodbanks was what netted Norman the Grampian Volunteer Transport Awards volunteer driver of the year honour.
Norman said his lockdown experience made him realise the true importance of the bus.
He took it upon himself to deck out the bus with hand sanitising and paper towel stations, made out of wire and cardboard.
His efforts meant the bus saw no confirmed or suspected cases of Covid during the entire first lockdown.
"It took me two days to kit the bus out," he said.
"It was totally makeshift – I'm not going to tell a lie – but it really worked."
Norman's irrepresible sense of humour was not dampened by the dark times.
He said building bonds with his passengers gave him a deep pride and shared one of his go-to phrases, which he said never fails to raise spirits.
He said: "The bit I really got my pride with was when kids would ask: 'Is Norman driving?'
"Some of the shoppers, too, would ask when I was on the rota and when I was off.
"My favourite expression was: 'Aye – you see my ugly mug!'
"It gets a smile every time."
Norman's full-on physiotherapy has seen him work up from walking with the aid of parallel metal bars, to using crutches, to climbing stairs, and now becoming used to his "peg leg".
He praised the efforts of NHS staff and said he is determined to leave hospital by his 71st birthday on June 2.
"I've told everyone to push me as hard as they can and they have done me proud by getting me back on my feet," he said.
"I'll be absolutely thrashing myself in the gym from now on because I want out of here ASAP.
"I don't care what they say the time limits are – I want out of here for my birthday."
Norman is a "fair character", Debbie said.
Picturing him at Woodend Hospital, itching to get out and behind the wheel, she reckoned the nurses will be receiving a concentrated dose of his renowned patter.
"He's a fair character, that's for sure," she said.
"I bet he'll just be fed up to tears in that hospital.
"He'll just be driving them all mental, yapping.
"I'm sure the nurses will be thinking: 'God, we'd better hurry up and get him better so we can get him out of here!'"
Debbie's suspicions appear not to be too far from the truth.
Norman said: "You should see me here, outside the front door of Woodend Hospital. I'm talking to absolutely everybody here."
Despite Norman devoting so much time to the Huntly community, he still feels he owes it more for the hospitality and warmth he has been shown.
"I still haven't repaid society enough, that's the truth." he said.
Despite a brief shortage in the wake of Norman's departure, the bus has found more drivers ahead of its busy summer period.
But Debbie encouraged anybody interested to get in touch, as it "always needs more volunteers."
