What was supposed to be a regular Wednesday at work for Hardeep Parmar was anything but.
Parmar is a deckhand for BC Ferries working a 12-hour shift aboard MV Klitsa which provides regular ferry service between Brentwood Bay and Mill Bay.
On Wednesday, Oct. 30, he received a text message from senior captain Martin Nielsen.
“He said we're getting audited today, so I went to work making sure everything was in order,” Parmar said.
That meant he had to check everything from the passenger control kit, the automated external defibrillator (AED) to the jump kit and fire locker before the first trip at 7:30 a.m.
When the gate opened for the 11 a.m. sailing, Parmar was confident everything was up to snuff and was ready to welcome the passengers in their cars with his big smile.
Little did he know, he was being set up for a wonderful surprise.
Nielsen walked toward him with a group of people including Astrid Chang, Destination Greater Victoria's executive director of community relations, who presented the surprised deckhand with the Victoria Hospitality Award.
“Thank you for being an amazing member of the hospitality community and providing outstanding service every single day, “Chang said as she handed Parmar a gift and flowers.
“You know, usually brown guys have Scotch,” Parmar said cheekily while receiving the gifts.
His smile grew even bigger when Central Saanich Mayor Ryan Windsor presented him with a certificate and congratulated him.
“Thank you for being such an amazing ambassador for our region,” Windsor said.
“You know, we are part of the community of Central Saanich and part of the community at large and we're just doing our best for everybody, so it's very much appreciated,” says Parmar.
James Adams, Destination Greater Victoria executive vice-president of commercial and CFO, along with BC Ferries social media specialist Maria Japson and senior communications advisor Ceilidh Marlow with some members of the media were also present during the awarding.
Before the surprise, Nielsen told Peninsula News Review Parmar likes to "have fun and engage with people but when the spotlight is on him, he’s definitely going to deflect it more toward his crew."
Which is exactly what he did after receiving the award. He pointed to each of the crew and thanked them for pulling it all together for the passengers.
Included in the gifts Parmar received, was a card containing a comment that was submitted to the organization detailing a passenger’s experience with the deckhand. A regular passenger’s car had broken down and not only did he help them travel, but he also lent his phone to help them get assistance.
“He’s just great with the passengers, we hear it all the time on the Facebook forum for Brentwood,” Nielsen said.
The senior captain also shared how a bunch of regular passengers had got together on board to present a $100 gift certificate to Parmar during lunch.
“I was lucky enough to be there. It’s one thing to have customers say something nice to you. It’s another thing where they buy something and then they present it to you on board,” Nielsen added.
The Langford resident has been working with BC Ferries since 2010, starting as a ticketing agent and as a customer service attendant, a role that won him the same award for the first time in 2014.
“The steel in this boat interacts with my energy and I appreciate it every time I come on here.”
The Victoria Hospitality Award was started in 1994 as a way to put the spotlight on the amazing people in the hospitality industry who do great things for customers, going above and beyond. Destination Greater Victoria oversees the program and selects a winner each month.
The spotlight shone brightly this October for Parmar, whose first name, Hardeep, means ‘light of God” in Punjab.
