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■aanctstl R-r.rvyi. ^i| *■ 4 /SB* ■C;Y B kl y c /V- 1 ' j ü a „ , ! /kXv ti- v' M mpw Wednesday, February 25, 1998 COMMUNITY CALENDAR • LIFESTYLES • SPORTS • COMMUNITY CORRESPONDENCE • TV LISTINGS Clarington's Oldest Sweethearts ,L„ ZQ V Gladys Finney Wedding Day, 1929 by Brad Kelly Staff Writer If your last name happens happens to be Finney, then marriage is for life. That seems to be the family trait of our latest winners in the Clarington's Oldest Sweetheart's competition. competition. This year's winners, winners, Phil and Gladys Finney, of Bowmanville, have been married for 68 years and counting. And the institution of marriage is something they were obviously able to pass on to each of their seven children. children. All of their kids are still married to their original spouses. With the aid of a calculator, if you tallied up all of the years that the immediate family members members have been married, (including Phil and Gladys) the total would be an amazing 347 years! So, with such a wealth of experience running through the family, the obvious question to ask the couple at the top of the list TOAST OF THE TOWN - Phil and Gladys Finney, of Bowmanville, were selected as Clarington's Oldest Sweethearts in celebration of,Valentine's Day. Phil, 90, and Gladys, 88, have been married for 68 years. They are pictured above with their great-granddaughter, great-granddaughter, Jillian Farrow, 13, who submitted the entry form in The Statesman's annual contest. The special evening for the Finneys included a limo ride from Deluxe Limousine, dinner for two at Silks Café, a dozen roses from Jasmine Florist, a box of chocolates from McGregor I.D.A. Drugs, and an heirloom clock from Hooper's Jewellers. is: What's the secret? "Marriage is a give and take," replies Gladys, without a moment's hesitation. hesitation. "If you love anybody, you can do that." The lovely couple were treated to an evening out as winners of the contest. The prize package included included a limo ride, dinner, flowers, chocolates, and an heirloom clock. Phil was born and raised in Peterborough, while Gladys lived in England until the age of nine, before moving to Peterborough with her family. It was while the two were employees at General Motors in Oshawa that they met on a boat trip to Niagara Falls in the 1920's. On August 17, 1929, they exchanged their wedding vows. "We didn't tell too many people we were getting getting married," remembers Gladys. She is 88 years of age, while Phil is 90. "We didn't want a big wedding or celebration." The Finneys raised seven children -- Harvey, Everett, Glen, Gordon, Evelyn, Theresa and Phillip -- on a farm in Maple Grove. While Phil continued to work at General Motors, Gladys quit her job to stay home and raise a family, a practice practice that was much more common in those days. "Today, not a lot of families can do that," said Gladys cf her choice to stay home full-time. "But I think that is what more should do." Raising turkeys took up much of the time on the farm, with numbers reaching reaching 2,000 some years. And at Christmas, it was customary customary to have 200 ready for orders from loyal customers. customers. "'Marriage is a give and take. If you love anybody you can do that." Gladys Finney "Back in those days," says Phil with a laugh, "you could barter your doctor's bills with a turkey." For the past three years, the Finneys have lived on Liberty St. in Bowmanville, but still yearn for life on the farm. "I wish we were still back on the farm. There's nothing like it," said Gladys. Travelling has played a big part in their lives, with holiday time spent in Australia, New Zealand, and England. As members of the Travelmate Club, they have piled up kilometre kilometre after kilometre on highways highways throughout North America in a motorhome. And, if they wished to do so, travelling in a motorhome is still an option despite their ages of 90 and 88. Both Phil and Gladys still have a valid driver's licence. Over the years, the family family has grown to include 21 grandchildren and 32 great-grandchildren, with the majority living in Ontario. There are also Phil Finney Wedding Day, 1929 some members in Illinois, and New Brunswick. It is when all of the family members are together that the couple is happiest. Looking back over the past 68 years of their marriage, marriage, neither Phil or Gladys would change a ' thing. Well, perhaps one thing. "The time has gone by just too fast," says Gladys. ALL IN THE FAMILY - Phil and Gladys Finney (seated), are the proud parents of seven children. The family includes, from left, Harvey, Everett (Albert), Glen, Gordon, Evelyn, Theresa, Phillip. Phil and Gladys also have 21 grandchildren, and 32 greatgrandchildren. greatgrandchildren. Project COMBAT Puts Brakes on Auto Theft Over 2,800 vehicles were stolen across Durham last year, compared to half that number in '93 by Lorraine Manfredo Staff Writer Auto thieves had better hit the road -- walking. Durham Regional Police have formed a new task force known as Project COMBAT to tackle an alarming alarming increase in auto theft region- wide. Project COMBAT is the short name for Community Battling Auto Theft. Since the 16-officer team got to work January 12, they have arrested 45 people (25 of them youths) on a total of 192 charges, including theft, possession of stolen property, mischief, mischief, breach of probation, possession of burglary tools, and other offences. Police are determined to make further further inroads in the crime that now costs our community $40 million each year. "Our goal is to strike it now before it's completely out of control," says detective Chris Ostler who heads up the task force. "We are aggressively looking to catch these people." Between 1991 and '96, cases of vehicle theft rose a dramatic 109% while population grew by only 12%. Over 2,800 vehicles were stolen across Durham last year, compared to half that number in '93. About 80% of these thefts can be blamed on joyriders, police say, -- bandits who 'car hop' from point A to point B and back again. Police are no longer surprised at the speed with which practiced felons can break into a car and start it up -- - most commonly by tampering with the ignition using a screwdriver. When and if these vehicles arc recovered they usually have sustained sustained costly damage. The education component of Project COMBAT aims to inform the community how not to be victims of car theft and, at the same time, impress on young people the dangers WHAT'S LEFT? -- This Durham Regional Police photo shows what can happen when thieves are at work. Prevent auto theft and vandalism vandalism by locking your car doors. of joyriding. "We want to make them aware of the risk to themselves, to the community community and the cost to the community." Approximately 20 per cent of auto thefts arc for profit. Thieves strip stolen vehicles for parts to sell. 1 They steal every make and model but lend to target high-end cars and trucks. Unfortunately, these vehicles are rarely recovered. There arc ways citizens can protect protect themselves. Simple basics are: • Never leave your vehicle unattended unattended with the engine running. • Park in well-lit areas having pedestrian traffic, • Always lock the doors and windows windows of your vehicle. One of several corporate sponsors working to curb auto theft in conjunction conjunction with Project COMBAT is GO Transit. With parking lot capacity for over 30,000 vehicles in lots across the GTA, theft is a definite concern for GO officials. Bill Jenkins, director of corporate affairs at GO, says their "Lock It or Lose It" campaign introduced over a year ago has been helpful in getting many regular riders to lock their doors and keep their valuables out of sight, "We've cheeked 35,000 vehicles in our parking lots over the past one and a half years," he says. Staff leave tags reminding riders to lock up. "We found fifty percent percent of the vehicles that were unlocked arc now being locked." Reports of vehicle theft and vandalism have dropped as a result, he says. "This past year there were 650 incidents of theft and vandalism, which is down from 815 incidents in 1993. That's a significant reduction." Jenkins also credits joint ventures with police, transit staff surveillance and closed circuit television television systems for the drop STOLEN MÔTL DURHAM REGION i iff ■yMM. i tstiMâ ■' 1 : IS* in crime. Project COMBAT officers were drawn from Major Crime, Criminal Investigations, Uniformed and Intelligence branches of the Durham Regional Police. In cracking down on car theft, they will conduct surveillance of offenders, conduct stake-outs at high incident areas, and use decoy vehicles vehicles and informants. Officers will also follow up all judicial releases, including probation and bail conditions, to minimize the risk of repeat offences. A public education pamphlet produced produced by Project COMBAT available at police stations suggests ways to avoid being a victim: Among them: • record serial numbers of valuables valuables in your car, including the stereo, • don't hide a second set of keys anywhere in the car, • consider installing an anti-theft device or perhaps a locking gas cap so thieves can't fuel up. In an effort to fight car theft, auto manufacturers arc now coining up with tracking devices and digital alarms on now models. Corporate partners in the Project COMBAT task force include General Motoros, Chrysler, Zurich Insurance, Pilot Insurance, Royal Insurance, Apex Auto Centre, Halifax Insurance, Insurance Bureau of Canada and GO Transit. Police estimate 80 per cent of the thefts are caused by "joyriders" and 20 per cent are the work of auto thieves stealing cars and trucks for profit.