Bradley sisters work, laugh and play together

Aug. 1, 2018

In honour of National Sisters Day (Aug. 1), we sat down with Midhurst natives and Georgian alumnae Emmily and Maggie Bradley, who have an especially strong sisterly bond.

They both graduated from the Police Foundations program in 2017 and co-founded Project CRASH, an initiative to deter bad driving habits.

What’s the age difference between you? Three years.

Who’s older? Maggie.

Did your mom dress you alike when you were younger? Yes. We had a lot of matching outfits!

Have you always been close? Yes. I think it’s because we’re relatively close in age, and always had friends who were in the same circle. We also have similar interests — like school, work and sports — and that’s what has kept us almost inseparable.

What do you have in common? We both like art and music. We also both enjoy playing volleyball and hockey.

What’s the biggest difference between you? Emmily is a world traveller and Maggie is a homebody.

What’s the best thing about having a sister? She’s the one friend you can be certain always truly has your best interests at heart. You always have a constant source of love, encouragement and honesty.

Can you each give me three words that describe the other?
Emmily: Ambitious, kind and bright.
Maggie: Loyal, compassionate and motivated.

What’s your funniest memory? There are so many! We’re constantly laughing and enjoying our time together.

What do you like to do for fun? We play on the same hockey and volleyball team. We also like to discuss TV episodes we’ve watched. We both like to watch Vanderpump Rules and Housewives of Beverly Hills and Orange County.

What are some tips for maintaining a good sibling relationship? Spend time with each other. Find something you’re both interested in and do it together. Keep in touch. Share little moments, like tell each other about your day or send silly pictures that will make each other laugh.

What do you argue about? We mostly argue about who took whose clothes! (Usually Emmily is rummaging through Maggie’s closet).

What’s one thing your sister may not know about you?
Maggie: I’m always researching flowers and plants. I like to garden!
Emmily: I’ve always wanted to be a hip-hop dancer.

Are you competitive? At times, but it’s friendly competition. We like to motivate each other to reach our goals.

Who’s the better cook? We’re both starting to advance in our cooking careers, so we’re pretty much even right now!

What’s one thing your sister can do that you can’t?
Maggie: Emmily can pick up a guitar and play virtually any song by ear.
Emmily: Maggie can ride motorcycles with ease and confidence. I really admire her courage!

Why did you both choose a policing career? We have family members who are police officers. We also both had an interest in making a difference in our community in the most positive way.

Why Georgian? Georgian offered a variety of courses that were not only academic, but also practical and hands on. We were also impressed with the fact that you gain firsthand knowledge from professors who have real-life experience in their respective fields. This really attracted us to the program.

What have you been up to since graduation? Maggie: I completed my Applicant Testing Services and achieved my Certificate of Results. From there, I applied to the York Regional Police. I was fortunate to be selected as a suitable candidate and began the interview process right away. After being successful throughout the interview stage, I received an offer and began my training immediately. In January, I was sworn in as a police constable and have been honoured to serve the community since.

Emmily: I’m currently in training for the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services. When I graduate, I’ll begin working as a correctional officer at Central North Correctional Centre, where I hope to gain the knowledge and skills to become a probation and parole officer.

Tell us about Project CRASH. Project CRASH started as a school project in our Traffic and Collision Investigation course. The idea behind the project was to create an effective media communications strategy to serve as a deterrent to motorists engaging in driving behaviours that not only endanger their own well-being but also compromise public safety.

The primary objective was to raise awareness of the “big four” driving errors, which include aggressive driving, impaired driving, distracted driving and seatbelt misuse. We designed and created a road sign that helps our cause. We posted our very first sign at Georgian’s Orillia Campus and we’re planning three additional signs, which will be placed at the exits of the Barrie Campus. Our short-term goal is to have our road signs posted at all Georgian campuses and then eventually on local roadways and highways.

After the school project concluded, Project CRASH was awarded the Ontario Provincial Police Georgian College Student Public Service Media Initiative Award. We both agreed that we wanted to continue moving forward with our project. We connected with various community partners, and shared our initiative with local radio and television news stations. In March 2017, Project CRASH became a non-profit organization. Last summer, we organized the First Annual Big FORE golf tournament and raised funds for additional road signs.

We both felt the need to give back to Georgian, so, with our additional funds raised, we put together the Project CRASH Award of Recognition, an annual award given to a graduating student in the Police Foundations program.

We’re very committed to our community and hope we can continue to make a positive impact each and every day.

What’s the best thing about working together? We have different strengths, so this gives us the ultimate advantage when working together. We’re also both very creative in our own ways, so blending our creativity helps us to come up with new and interesting ideas.

Why is teamwork important? Teamwork is very important in order to be successful. You can always accomplish more when you’re part of a team. Teamwork allows collaboration of different ideas, cultures, ages, knowledge and skills.

What’s one thing you would change about the world? We would ensure every person was provided the basic necessities of life.

Watch a video of the sisters taken while Georgian students.

Pictured: Maggie left, Emmily right