Lt(Navy) Wilson Ho
CFB Esquimalt Public Affairs Officer

  • Commissionaire Robert (Bob) Crosman, with 25 years of service, marked his 80th birthday at CFB Esquimalt.
  • On the same day, Bob spotted a rare Cooper’s Hawk perched near the Y-Jetty Guard House.

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For those passing through Y-Jetty at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Esquimalt during the week, Commissionaire Robert (Bob) Crosman can be seen sitting in the Guard House with his trusty sidekick, his dog Teddy, resting close by.

Last month, a special visitor was spotted by ‘eagle-eyed’ Bob. It was a Cooper’s Hawk. The winged visitor had landed on the fence line by the Guard House, eyeing Defence Team members intently as they left work for the day. Cooper’s Hawks are summertime visitors to southern Vancouver Island, breeding in the area during the warmer months before migrating south for the winter. To understand general guidelines of safely spotting hawks and other birds of prey around CFB Esquimalt without disrupting their natural environment, Robyn Pirie, Base Safety, Environment, and Indigenous Relations Environment Officer, shares that they should be viewed from a distance. Keep an eye out during birding season, as fledglings will be learning to survive outside of the nest for the first time.

Coincidentally, the sighting of the Cooper’s Hawk was not the only special thing to occur on that day — it was also Bob’s 80th birthday. Now in his 25th year as a Commissionaire, Bob is one of the many dedicated Defence Team members that keep CFB Esquimalt safe and smoothly running.

With no plans to retire soon, Bob intends to continue working to help guard and control security at CFB Esquimalt.

“Being a commissionaire is the best job I’ve ever had,” said Bob. When asked about any life lessons he had learned along the way, Bob offered, “In every moment in your life, look for joy, look for the positive, and look for the little things.”