Leading figure in Scottish museums

Born: March 22, 1927;

Died: May 22, 2018

RONNIE Cramond, who has died aged 91, was a civil servant whose influence was felt in many areas of public life. As under secretary at the Scottish Office, he worked under a number of Scottish Secretaries, including Willie Ross. As deputy chairman of the Highlands and Islands Development Board, he also played a key role in the development of the company that reintroduced reindeer to the Cairngorms in 1952 and was a leading figure in Scottish museums for many years, most notably as a trustee of National Museums Scotland in the 1980s and 90s.

Though Ronnie - born Ronald Duncan Cramond - came from a modest family background, describing himself as ‘a wee laddie fae Leith’, he went to George Heriot’s School in Edinburgh from 1939-1945, having gained a bursary which paid his fees, books and uniform.

He did well in his studies, gaining another bursary to attend Edinburgh University while also playing rugby, including for the First XV, and becoming the senior NCO in the school air training corps. He was disappointed to fail an eye test to train as a Spitfire pilot, so stayed at school to complete his sixth year and go to university. These interests continued at university along with farm and timber camps in the holidays, although in 1947 he and a friend went hiking in France across the Pyrenees from west to east, something which was unusually adventurous at the time.

He graduated with first class honours in history in 1949, and then did two years national service where his OTC background earned him a place at Eaton Hall officer training school. Once commissioned, he spent the remainder of his time as an instructor for the special squad of national servicemen, based at Dreghorn, while continuing to play rugby for the army.

He then joined the civil service, serving first in the war office in London, then in the Scottish Office where he served in housing and in planning, where he was awarded the Haldane Medal in business administration in 1964, and then agriculture and fisheries, rising to the grade of under secretary in 1977.

During his time in agriculture he took part in several British delegations to Brussels, and was always keen to emphasise the particular Scottish problems of farmers working marginal land. In 1983 he became deputy chairman of the Highlands and Islands Development Board, with particular responsibility for tourism and for the Northern and Western Isles. He enjoyed all the travel this position necessitated particularly to the smaller isles, in order to advise and support local farmers, fisheries and other businesses. One initiative that he was probably most proud of was the support given to the Cairngorm Reindeer Company.

His abiding interest in history connected him to various museum bodies across Scotland. He was a trustee of National Museums Scotland from1985-96, the period of the planning, building and creating displays for the Scottish Collection in what became the Museum of Scotland, which opened in 1998. He documented the story of this project, which was not without problems, in a thesis for an M.Phil, granted by Edinburgh University in 2011, setting a record for the longest gap between graduations.

He was also chairman of the then Scottish Museums Council, from 1990-93, and was associated with Bo’ness Heritage Centre and the Anstruther Fisheries Museum. With a group of friends he set up a small charity in 1995, the Intellectual Access Trust, to look at ways to improve access to museums and galleries for people with learning disabilities, whom he felt were neglected by the Disability Discrimination legislation. They raised enough money to employ a researcher, publish a report and hold a series of seminars to disseminate the findings. Later on, he began volunteering as a guide at the Museum of Scotland where he developed tours on the Jacobites and Scottish identity.

A keen hill walker and climber, interested in environmental concerns, Ronnie Cramond was a member of the Countryside Commission, the Strathclyde Greenbelt Foundation and, following the 1970 Year of European Conservation, the 1970 Club, which brought together the CEOs of various governmental and quasi-governmental organisations to continue to foster environmental issues and formed many friendships as a result.

When his son started playing rugby also at George Heriot's, Ronnie started refereeing the school teams and achieved another record as the longest serving referee at Goldenacre.

He was also interested in genealogy and the promotion of the Scots language; he was a supporter of the Scots Language Society and a subscriber to its magazine Lallans.

Unfortunately a fall in 2014, resulted in slowly deteriorating health and eventually admittance to a care home.

At the end of one of many radio interviews undertaken during his career, Mr Cramond, who was awarded a CBE in 1987, was described by the interviewer as “a man whom no-one could accuse of not caring”. A suitable epitaph for anyone.

Ronnie Cramond’s first wife, Connie MacGregor, died in 1985, and he is survived by a son and daughter from that marriage, three grandchildren and his second wife, Ann.