Keith man famed for delivering firewood across north-east in motorbike, dies aged 80
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A KEITH man who was well known throughout Moray and the north-east for delivering firewood in his motorbike and sidecar, has died aged 80.
Norman Birse, also known as the 'stick man', delivered firewood to Newmill, Keith and Dufftown for nearly 45 years.
He was born on April 20, 1941 to a large family consisting of four brothers and three sisters.
His parents, Eric and Jeannie Birse, moved the family to Springbank just outside Keith seven years later where Norman remained for the rest of his life.
It was there, from his father's sawmill at the age of 15, that Norman started to deliver piles of firewood stacked on the sidecar of his Norton motorbike around Moray.
The feat became something of a novelty in the area but despite his local celebrity status, Norman remained humble, according to his widow Jean.
Jean said: "He was a very strong hard working man and a really big family man. He came from a big family after all.
"He didn't like any fuss and he was a very private person really.
"He loved his motorbikes and his tractors. That was his hobby."
Norman married Jean in 1985 at the Seafield Arms Hotel in Keith.
The pair had two daughters together - Michelle and Gemma.
One of Norman's proudest days came in 2018 when he attended Michelle's wedding. He was also a proud grandad to Sophie, Logan and Connor.
Norman brought over four decades of delivering firewood to an end when he retired in 2002 at the age of 60.
Retirement allowed Norman time to tinker with his tractors and his six motorcycles. However, the iconic bike that made him a staple of the Moray roads remained untouched for the rest of his life.
Norman and Jean went travelling together in their retirement. That took them to Canada, Germany and Ireland.
Jean has particularly fond memories of their trips to Canada where they visited Banff and Calgary.
"It was the holiday of a lifetime," Jean said.
"We took the Rocky Mountain train from Banff and it was just wonderful.
"We saw all the wildlife on that trip. We saw the grizzly bears, eagles, the lot really."
In 2017, Norman was diagnosed with leukaemia. Five years later, on March 23 last month, he died peacefully at Dr Gray's Hospital in Elgin.
"He was ok for four and a half years and then it just went downhill in the last six months," Jean said.
"Before that he was still enjoying his early morning walks. He would go out every day at 5am and walk three or four miles.
"He died of the leukaemia in the end.
"It's sad and we're all lost without him. He'll be sadly missed by so many because he was so well known."
Norman was laid to rest on Wednesday, April 6 after a funeral service held at Keith North Church.
