Remembering Norman MacLeod Stewart

The profession pauses to honour past president Norman MacLeod Stewart, reflecting on his distinguished legal career and achievements.

Norman MacLeod Stewart – A Life

Norman Stewart was a Lossie loon born and bred. He was the fourth child of seven born to George and Elspeth, living in a house built by their grandfather in 1902.

Norman entered Lossie school in 1939 just as World War II was starting, before progressing on to Elgin Academy. These were the days when no careers advice was available and he remained there for only one year. He had no clear vision of what he wanted to do, taking a position as an apprentice baker, sweeping floors and scraping the congealed sugar off baking tins.

He soon realised that this life was not for him and applied to be a ‘beginner’ in an Elgin law office, Allan, Black & McCaskie, loving this work but unable to progress without Highers. After two years he asked the senior partner if he could approach the rector of Elgin Academy to request a return to school. This was met with various doubts, but he was allowed back to study for his Highers.

Unfortunately, due to illness, he missed most of the first term and the mountain was even more difficult to climb. Much to the surprise of many, climb it he did, and he achieved his university entrance. By that time he realised that the centre of all things legal was Edinburgh and he applied for, and was accepted by, Edinburgh University Law Faculty. He was a very proud first-generation university student from a Lossie fishing family.

Norman completed his practical training in Edinburgh and then took up a post in Banffshire, which he held for a year before accepting an invitation from the same senior partner to return to Elgin in 1959. He became immersed in the work of the firm and the community, becoming partner in 1961, then senior partner and latterly consultant.

His first voluntary job was as branch secretary of the British Sailors Society, then a very active organisation bearing in mind the size of our Merchant Navy. There followed his appointment as branch secretary of the Multiple Sclerosis Society; and as secretary of the Lossiemouth and Lochinver branch of the Scottish Inshore White Fish Producers Association, and the Lossiemouth, Hopeman and Burghead Fishermen’s Benevolant Fund. (Lossie still had about 80 vessels active at the time.)

Norman became treasurer of the Moray Golf Club and spent a good deal of time in reorganising its accounts, becoming an honorary member there, and subsequently the Officers’ Mess at RAF Lossiemouth.

When Lossie Town Council ceased to exist in 1975 he was appointed secretary of the newly formed Lossiemouth – Hersbruck Twin Town Association.

Always interested in education, he became chairman of the Lossiemouth, Hopeman and Burghead schools council, as well as on the board of Macallan!

With the decline in fishing it was decided to form the Lossiemouth Fisheries and Community Museum and Norman was founding trustee and creator of its constitution, as well as a founding trustee and for many years the secretary of the Lossiemouth Senior Citizens Bus Trust.

Elected as elder and treasurer of St James, he steered the congregation move from the old building in The Square to the then unoccupied former High Church building, overcoming many problems.

After a number of years as secretary of Elgin and Lossiemouth Harbour Company, the board elected him as chairman at a crucial time in the development of the harbour. With the obvious decline in fishing, steps were taken to convert the harbour to a marina for leisure use.

Norman never forgot his university and when the Edinburgh University Club of Moray was founded he became a member and went on to be its president.

He was also a founding trustee of the Give Them a Sporting Chance charity which, under the patronage of The Princess Royal, gives carers and disabled people access to sporting and recreational experiences.

In 1964 he received an invitation to join The Rotary Club of Elgin and helped in its many charitable events for more than 40 years, becoming one of its youngest presidents in the early 1970s. Following Rotary he continued in the Probus club of Elgin, where he became president.

By far the most significant of Norman’s external activities were his many years of service within the Law Society of Scotland. In the 1970s the Moray Faculty of Solicitors elected him to be one of two council members of the Law Society representing the Highlands and Islands and Moray area. There followed much travel (down the old A9!), mostly to Edinburgh, much committee work and mountains of paper.

After chairing several leading committees of the Law Society, he was elected vice-president and thereafter president in 1985. He not only represented the legal profession within Scotland and the UK but also internationally in places such as Madrid, Vienna, Rome, Washington and Moscow. He worked with the American Bar Association, and the Americans recognised that work by installing him in Washington, as an honorary member of what is the largest association of lawyers in the world. Some three years later they selected him as the only UK delegate on a special mission to Moscow, which led to meetings with Soviet lawyers in the heart of the Kremlin and finally a banquet attended by President Gorbachev himself.

During this period Norman also became a member of various organisations outside Scotland, such as The Law Society of England and Wales, The Commonwealth Lawyers Association and the International Bar Association.

Sorely missed by Mary (May), his beloved of 70 years, along with his four daughters, 10 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. An active life, lived to the full, dedicated to the Rotary motto of ‘Service above Self’.