Norman Turner Interests and Activities
Norman Turner

Advanced Diver-BSAC Openwater Instructor-Historic Diver


Norman is qualified through the British Sub-Aqua Club as an Advanced Diver and Openwater Instructor.

He also holds PADI mixed gas qualifications and Royal Yachting Association power boat handling qualifications.

Other qualifications and experience include Oxygen Administration, Rescue Management, Underwater Work, Searches, Chamber Use, Band Masks, Divator Mask and Kirby Morgan Superlite.


In addition to teaching using open circuit
SCUBA, Norman maintains an interest in
Historic diving and has used Seibe Gorman
hard hat apparatus and the slightly more modern Russian 3 bolt type

In approaching 1000 dives classic wrecks such as the "Thistlegorm", Markgraf, Mohegan, Salsette, Hood, Aolian Sky,
Koln, Inverlane, Breda, Egan Layne, Carnatic, Giannis D, Moidart, Brummer,
Gobenader Borres, Baygitano, and James Barrie have been visited.

As founder and holder over time of every officers position in the Black Country Diving Club Norman has taught approaching 50 people to dive and added to their qualifications.

Other Interests
Rugby

Norman plays veterans rugby each week for Stourbridge RFC being a founder member of the infamous "FIDOS" a group of approximately 10 players who form the backbone of the veterans teams. The FIDOS have been playing together for in excess of 25 years and have a combined experience of over 300 years and a combined weight of over a ton !
When they are not embarrassing themselves by playing the game, the FIDOS raise money for charity, in recent years approaching 5000 has been raised for the victims of rugby accidents who have been left paralysed.



Property Restoration

A 19th Century Cottage has been a 3 year project formerly a market garden and adjoining a local inn, the cottage has been sympathetically restored.
The rear garden is reputed to have housed the stables for the former Oldnall Colliery. These stables had alternative use as the temporary mortuary following the frequent roof collapses at that time.
The Whynot Inn adjoining dates back to 1836.
Rumours of hauntings subsist to this day with no fewer than 3 sightings of different ghosts reported.
The Black Country generally is known as one of the most haunted places in England.





Cars, Boats and Bikes
A loving for all things mechanical has resulted in the restoration and re-building of a number of disparate modes of transport these have included :-

A Fiat 500 bubble car, an Austin Mini Traveller, a Vauxhall Firenza Coupe, a Mini Cooper, a Vauxhall HB Viva, 2 MGB GTs, an Austin Healey Mk1 (Frogeye) Sprite, Austin A35, A competition Mini (subsequently Rallied), a BSA Starfire motor cycle, a Gilera scooter, a London Taxi, an Alfa Romeo Sprint Veloce , a "C-Craft" boat, an Avon inflatable boat and a Dunlop Scorpio assault boat.