No plans to retire, says beloved commissionaire

Major (ret’d) Gerry Ratchford, a commissionaire at CFB Esquimalt, recently celebrated his 95th birthday. Ratchford says he loves his job and has no plans for retirement any time soon. Credit: Peter Mallett/Lookout Newspaper

Peter Mallett
Staff Writer

The Dockyard celebrated a remarkable milestone for one of its favourite coworkers.

Members of the Fleet Maintenance Facility (FMF) Cape Breton and base security contractor staged a surprise party for Commissionaire Major (ret’d) Gerry Ratchford, who celebrated his 95^th birthday on May 24.

The former Merchant Marine and veteran of Canadian United Nations (UN) Peacekeeping missions works at the FMF security booth. Ratchford says he was very grateful for the party that included hamburgers, soft drinks, cake and cards.

“It was a great feeling to be recognized by my friends and coworkers and was completely unexpected,” said Ratchford. “It was a pleasant surprise and from what I heard, they had been planning this for months.”

Some of Ratchford’s duties include checking identifications, raising the parking gate, handing out visitor passes, monitoring comings and goings, and making regular rounds at the busy industrial complex in HMC Dockyard.

His friends and coworkers marvel at his outlook on life.

“He is a great coworker, always looks after things and is well-organized making sure we don’t fall behind on the job,” said Ricci O’Reilly, Ratchford’s security booth partner. “We look out for each other all the time and are a great team.”

O’Reilly, who has been working with Ratchford for the last four years, says he marvels at his perseverance when given a chance to reflect on his longevity.

‘Living the Dream’

Born May 24, 1928, in New Westminster, B.C., Ratchford began his life when William Lyon Mackenzie King was Canada’s Prime Minister and more than a year before the beginning of the Great Depression.

He served in the Canadian Merchant Navy from September 1946 to July 1949, and his service aboard seven different vessels took him to faraway places such as England, Japan, Jamaica, South Africa, Singapore and Zanzibar.

Ratchford had a brief spell in the Royal Canadian Navy from July 1949 to November 1950. He then joined the Canadian Army in 1952 until his release in 1993. During that time, his tours of duty included being a member of The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment), serving in Korea in the years after the truce was signed between North and South, and being part of Canada’s UN Peacekeeping mission in Cyprus in 1970 and 1971.

“I always wanted to be a soldier from a young age, and I lived my dream,” he said.

After his release from the army, he became an instructor with the Canadian Scottish (Princess Mary’s) Cadet Corps. He stayed in the organization, eventually rising to the rank of Major before his retirement in 1993. In a military career that spans more than 40 years, Ratchford was awarded ten medals, including a Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal, Canadian Volunteer Service Medal (Korea), and a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal.

‘The Commish’

Ratchford has been with the Commissionaires for 43 years, joining the private security contractor in 1980. He switched to part-time three years ago, working the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday day shifts. He says he still relishes his three shifts per week because it helps him stay sharp.

“I like the interaction with the people I meet every day at FMF, and everyone seems to know who I am,” he says. “Going to work gives me something to look forward to and keeps me busy.”

His keys to good health include abstaining from alcohol and smoking, both of which he decided to give up in the late 1950s and staying active and engaged. In his spare time, Ratchford likes to research his family genealogy and solve jigsaw puzzles.

When asked if he had any plans to retire any time soon, he replied quickly with a polite but definite “No”.

“If I can, I will work here when I am 100; my body will tell me when it’s time to retire and until then, I’m sticking with it,” he said.