Hugh Gamblin: Celebrating 50 + Years of Dedicated Service!

As today is Bus Driver Appreciation Day, we thought it would be a great time to celebrate the career one of our bus drivers, Mr. Hugh Gamblin. Hugh has been dutifully driving students to and from Ashmont School on the same route for more than FIFTY years! We would like to celebrate Mr. Gamblin today by sharing some information about him as a person and as a dedicated driver for St. Paul Education.

This past November marked the fiftieth anniversary of driving bus for Mr. Gamblin, all on the same route with St. Paul Education. His journey as a driver started just a couple of days after his 18th birthday, in November of 1968. Even though he was still in grade 12, his father presented him with an opportunity to take over his bus route, which he had been doing since 1955. His dad no longer had medical clearance to drive a bus, and so Hugh eagerly took over the route. Incredibly, his passion for driving a bus started long before this. He knew since the age of 8 that we wanted to be a bus driver. As a boy, he would beg his dad to wash the bus, spending as much time as he could looking after it and learning as much as he could.

As a driver, Mr. Gamblin always went above and beyond for all of his students and families, whether it was handing out “bus bags” full of treats to students at Christmas, attending Christmas concerts, or even helping to deliver mail and groceries when needed. Through his commitment, enthusiasm and service, Hugh has been a staple of the Ashmont community. In one case, Mr. Gamblin is now driving the fourth generation of one of his families to school!

Above all else, Mr. Gamblin always held himself and all of his passengers to the highest of safety standards. Having his students execute a flawless safety drill always brought a huge feeling of pride to Mr. Gamblin. This continues to be the case today.

Among the many highlights of his career, Mr. Gamblin counts a trip to Brantford, Ontario to tour the Bluebird Bus Factory as one of his fondest memories. In addition to the factory tour, Hugh bought a new 1984 66-passenger bus, right off the factory floor and drove it back home to Alberta.

Other highlights in Mr. Gamblin’s career include:

- Serving as the local contractor’s association president for over 25 years.

- Serving as a director for the Province of Alberta School Bus Contractors for 38 years.

On behalf of all of us, THANK YOU for 50 years of exemplary service! THANK YOU for your dedication; your passion for your craft is an inspiration to us all. We look forward to working with you for many years to come!