Special duties assigned for boss auction

Corporal Christopher Imamshah, from Personnel Coordination Centre, looks on as Base Commander Capt(N) Jason Boyd handles mail and hands out treats. Cpl Imamshah single-handedly secured the Base Commander with a donation to the National Defence Workplace Charitable Campaign’s “You’re the Boss” auction.

Base Public Affairs ~

Just before Christmas, Capt(N) Jason Boyd took on a special tasking order. One carefully crafted by the folks at the Personnel Coordination Centre (PCC).

Detailed in the order, written by Corporal Christopher Imamshah, the Base Commander had to ensure that fun, and plenty of it, was embedded in all his duties for the day.

Not his base commander duties, but those assigned to him in the tasking order, which was part of the PCC’s winning You’re the Boss auction bid in support of the National Defence Workplace Charitable Campaign (NDWCC).

His day started with morning coffee, the making and delivery of it, closely followed by the most pressing task – ironing shirts.

No day at PCC would be complete without mail delivery, processing of leave passes, and a few financial transactions, all done with a big smile, the passing out of candy, and gushing about the greatness of the Corporal.

“Cpl Imamshah has purchased me for the forenoon and I got the easy job of talking about how awesome he is,” said the Base Commander as he offered up a tray of chocolates.

Cpl Imamshah also added a few unique taskings, ones that required dexterity and creativity:  the rearranging of tiny letters on an office stamp to spell out “L. Wilkins, LCdr” and composing a West Coast-style haiku on any subject.

Hockey makes me smile
Warms my heart despite the cold
Tired but content

To round off his tasking Capt(N) Boyd donned a chef apron and grilled up hamburgers and hot dogs for the unit’s NDWCC barbecue.

Other unusual assignments

On the same day the Base Commander was adding fun to the PCC workplace, Chief Petty Officer First Class Gilles Grégoire, Maritime Forces Pacific Formation Chief, was at Nelles galley stacking freshly baked cookies, making boxed lunches, working the cash register, and swabbing the decks.

That last task needed no instruction.

“Always change the water when it gets dirty and just do a small section at a time,” explained CPO1 Grégoire.

CPO1 Gino Spinelli, the Base Chief, also served a shift at Base Foods.

While the Chiefs mopped the galley with gusto, Commander Kristof Langland, from MARPAC Headquarters, showed equally impressive enthusiasm at Transport and Electrical Mechanical Engineering, so much so he returned for an afternoon shift.

With some guidance from staff, he hung out under the hoist to repair a pickup truck and inspect the Admiral’s Ford Expedition. “Uburring” with the base taxi and washing a bus rounded out his auction tasks.

For an up-close look at Military Police patrol duties, unit Commanding Officer Major Lisa Clark spent a morning in a patrol car helping ensure the safety and security of CFB Esquimalt and other DND locations.

Proceeds from the MPU(E) donation went to the Military Police Fund for Blind Children.

Rounding out the “You’re the Boss” roster, Capt(N) Christopher Robinson, Commander Canadian Submarine Force, worked at the Base Orderly Room, while Capt(N) Ed Hooper, Commanding Officer Fleet Maintenance Facility Cape Breton, handled coffee and other duties at the Naval Personnel Training Group.

2018 You’re the Boss initiatives

The “You’re the Boss” initiative continues with:

• Lieutenant-Colonel Matthew Sandy, Commanding Officer Real Property Operations (Pacific), to work at the Canadian Forces Housing Agency;
• Rear-Admiral Art McDonald, Commander Maritime Forces Pacific, will work at 1 Dental Unit Detachment Esquimalt, where he will drill down on his assigned workload;
• Commodore Marta Mulkins, Commander Naval Reserve, will join the Joint Personnel Support Unit Pacific unit;
• Commander Michele Tessier, Deputy Chief of Staff Current Operations and Intelligence, will share her smile at the Office of the Base Commander;
• Melanie Fugard, Base Financial Officer, will be a good sport at Personnel Support Programs; and,
• Lieutenant-Colonel Gordon Peckham, Commanding Officer Canadian Forces Health Services Centre (Pacific), will get real personal at Civilian Human Resources.