B.C. Ferries passengers at the Swartz Bay terminal got some unexpected entertainment Thursday afternoon, when about 20 members of the B.C. RCMP in red serge gave a performance of their marching skills.
The Mounties had practised for two weeks and were prepared to perform at the Pacific Tattoo in Victoria this weekend, but then the event was cancelled due to low ticket sales.
The show still went on, but instead of the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre, the Mounties gave a surprise performance in front of waiting cars and trucks at the ferry terminal.
They followed that with a similar performance Thursday evening at the Sidney Street Market.
“These folks are all operational police officers who, seven days ago, were doing regular police work in the field,” said Cpl. Eric Sheppard, who heads up the unit.
“In seven days of drill training, we managed to put this routine together and this is the first public performance.”
The performance involves the Mounties marching to music while in formation, occasionally shooting blanks from their Lee-Enfield .303 rifles.
The troop had just completed training at Work Point Barracks at CFB Esquimalt and were “heartbroken” that the event they’d trained for didn’t pan out.
“We’re disappointed Victoria didn’t work out because we were excited about performing here but we were slated to do one in the Okanagan anyway [on Aug. 1 and 2],” Sheppard said.
Performing at the ferry terminal “was a whole lot of fun,” he said.
“To do this in front of the public at an unfamiliar environment keeps [the performers] on their toes. It’s more human, not so contrived and regimented.”
Following the 15-minute performance, the Mounties were swarmed by tourists wanting photos.
The drills highlight the RCMP’s pride in its rich history, Sheppard said.
“The reason why we hold true to our traditions ... is it reminds the members where we came from in history, the sacrifices and turmoil in those early days marching across the Prairies on horseback,” said Sheppard.
“We are Canada’s national force and by nature of our uniforms, we’re world-famous.”
Paul Legge, an 11-year-old boy from Calgary, had his dad take a photo with him surrounded by three Mounties.
The boy said afterward “that was really fun.”
He thought becoming a Mountie later in life might also be fun, his views influenced by the performance he’d just witnessed.
Const. Daniel Forslund said the performance “was a nice surprise for us and for them.”
Const. Kevin Theodosiou just graduated from recruit training four months ago and is posted at Castlegar. The drill team was looking for volunteers, and Theodosiou thought it might be interesting and put his name in.
The experience “is phenomenal — just to be involved in something like this, where you can put on a show for the public, represent the RCMP wearing this historic, traditional uniform,” Theodosiou said.
Victoria lawyer Steven Kelliher was delighted to catch the show.
“It’s fantastic … fascinating,” he said.
Debbie Warren and a group of female friends had just completed their annual golf trip to the Island and were heading home when they had a stroke of luck.
“We rushed here through rush-hour traffic and missed the ferry but we got a performance,” she said.
“It was meant to be that we missed the 4 p.m. ferry.”
