Birthday bash for oldest base driver

Transport and Electrical Mechanical Engineering (TEME) employee Jackson Filtness celebrated his 75th birthday Oct. 23 by driving one of his unit’s big rigs. A former truck driver for TEME and Canadian National Railways, Filtness has enjoyed 51 years of public service. He currently drives a base taxi cab. Photo by TEME

Peter Mallett, Staff Writer ~

Base Transport employee Jackson Filtness celebrated his 75th birthday doing what he likes best, hopping into a transport truck, gearing down, and going for a drive.

With a combined total of 51 years of public service work, 33 years of those with Transport and Electrical Mechanical Engineering (TEME), his co-workers threw him a birthday bash to remember on Oct. 23. 

To celebrate the occasion and the former truck driver’s remarkable legacy, he climbed into the cab of an 18-wheeler again and geared down once again.

“We had the pleasure of getting him back in a tractor trailer and a quick drive through the compound to open the celebration, which was then followed by a pizza party that was attended by about 30 employees,” said Christopher Shipway, Supervisor of TEME Special Purpose Vehicles.

Filtness has worked as a base taxi driver for his unit’s Special Purpose Vehicles since 2008, but began his work for Base Transport by driving trucks, beginning in 1985. He said the birthday party was something he would never forget, and declared he was “flattered to be honoured in such a great way” by his co-workers.  

Born in Vancouver but raised in Victoria, Filtness had a three-year career in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) where he spent most of his time working as a Stoker aboard HMCS Beacon Hill.  He then joined the Canadian Coast Guard in 1963 and also worked for the Empress Hotel power plant and the Sudbury II, a deep-sea salvage tug before landing a job with Canadian National Railways. 

“I drove my first semi-trailer in 1964, it was a 1956 Kenworth,” he said. “It had a 40-foot trailer for hauling lumber from Vancouver Island to Vancouver. The big rigs sure have changed over the years, mainly being so much more comfortable in the way they ride and their power.”

He also noted the huge changes to the size and scope of the RCN since his Cold-War era days as a sailor in a much larger and powerful Pacific Fleet.

Filtness says he’s looking forward to seeing the next wave of modern Canadian warships currently in the works for the RCN, along with the completion of ongoing construction projects at the Fleet Maintenance Facility (FMF) and the jetties in Dockyard before his work days draw to a close, which he estimates sometime in 2020.

He says he hopes younger employees who work at the base in future years can learn from his wisdom and work experience, and provides them with the following advice.

“Take pride in your work and act like a professional,” he said. “That’s what it’s all about: Courtesy, patience, respect for others, staying alert and keeping your eyes open.”