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>> Tools and talent are essentials for your neighbourhood locksmith

by CHRIS BARRY

Photo by Jason Felker

Name: Gerry Feeley

Age: 55

Occupation: Locksmith

Salary: “Locksmithing has been very good to me.”

Bio: This spunky Dollard resident was working on an assembly line at Northern Electric some 30-odd years ago when, after suddenly finding himself downsized, he decided to take a correspondence course in locksmithing. A gifted natural, Gerry got into the trade shortly afterwards and quickly developed his current rep as one of the top locksmiths in town. These days he is the manager at Ronald C. Lister locksmiths on Wellington in Griffintown.

What it costs to lose the keys to your home and have to call him up: $50–70 during normal business hours, provided he doesn’t have to break the lock to get in. Add another 50 per cent to that if you find yourself locked out in the middle of the night.

His success rate in opening locks without having to destroy them: Approximately 90 per cent.

How long it generally takes him to get into a house or apartment: Usually within 10 minutes.

Has he ever come across a lock that he couldn’t open? No.

Has he ever been on a call and accidentally locked himself out of his vehicle, leaving his locksmithing tools inside his trunk? Yes, once. “But fortunately I managed to get myself back in using a coat-hanger.”

Is there such a thing as a good bicycle lock? Yes, the Master and Kryptonite U locks are very hard to open.

How long it takes him to open a Kryptonite bicycle lock on a good day: 10 seconds.

Is it really possible to crack open a bank safe just by a trained sense of touch, or is that strictly a Hollywood thing? Absolutely, you can. “The trick is to try and see with your mind through the door and imagine what the wheels inside are doing by the feel of your fingers. We have two of the finest safecrackers in North America working with us here at Ronald Lister. They have an 80 to 90 per cent success rate in cracking safes solely through manipulation.”

Has any guy, wearing a stocking over his face, ever walked in asking if Gerry could help get him into his “personal safe” at the bank some time later that evening? “No, but we do get suspicious calls every once in awhile. If, after screening the caller we still don’t feel right about them, we tell the individual that we’ll meet them at the specified location but only in the presence of a police officer. At which point they often threaten to call another locksmith, which is fine by us, go ahead and call somebody else.”

Something else he does: Swims competitively with the Dollard Masters Swimming Team. His team has won the provincial championship for the past 10 years in a row.

Musical preferences: The Beatles, Rod Stewart.

Literary preferences: Readers Digest.

Childhood ambition: To join the RCMP or become an airline pilot.

Favourite film of all time: The Sound of Music.

Words of wisdom: “Be honest with the people, tell them the truth, and things will work out.” :

Comments? dimwit@openface.ca