BLAST VICTIM'S FAMILY MOVED TO DONEGAL FOR A BETTER LIFE
Blast victim's family moved to Donegal for a better life
THE family of a schoolboy whose broken body was seen by millions being stretchered from the Omagh bomb site had moved to Ireland in search of "a better life", it emerged yesterday.
Solicitor Victor Barker and his wife Maria had taken the decision just over a year ago to move their family from the south east of England to Co Donegal.
To achieve his ideal, Mr Barker, 41, had been living a dual existence by continuing to run his legal practice in Chertsey, Surrey, and commuting at weekends to the new family home in Buncrana.
But that dream was shattered when the terrorist bomb ripped through Omagh's High Street on Saturday afternoon, fatally injuring James Barker, 12, who had travelled to the town for a day out with two Spanish exchange students.
Friends and colleagues who had known the family before they moved said Mr Barker and his Irish wife Maria, had wanted to give James the best quality of life while continuing to play active roles in their communities.
Despite the sacrifice of commuting hundreds of miles every week, Mr Barker had remained a member of his local district council. His elder daughter, Estelle, is at university in England.
Chris Norman, leader of Runnymede Borough Council where Mr Barker had been a Conservative councillor since 1991, said: "They had moved to Ireland because they believed they would be able to get a better life out there.
"The surroundings were better, they were attracted by the schools and the chance for Maria to return home. But it involved a big sacrifice for all of them, with Victor still staying here to run his business.
"He was very committed to what he was doing, extremely hard-working and still carrying on his work with the council."
James, a keen sportsman who had been due to start at a Belfast prep school next month, was seen on television screens across the world as he was stretchered unconscious from the rubble of the Omagh bombing.
He died in hospital from his injuries along with Fernando Blasco, a Spanish exchange student who had been staying with the Barkers with his sister Uki, who suffered horrific head injuries in the blast.
THE family of a schoolboy whose broken body was seen by millions being stretchered from the Omagh bomb site had moved to Ireland in search of "a better life", it emerged yesterday.
Solicitor Victor Barker and his wife Maria had taken the decision just over a year ago to move their family from the south east of England to Co Donegal.
To achieve his ideal, Mr Barker, 41, had been living a dual existence by continuing to run his legal practice in Chertsey, Surrey, and commuting at weekends to the new family home in Buncrana.
But that dream was shattered when the terrorist bomb ripped through Omagh's High Street on Saturday afternoon, fatally injuring James Barker, 12, who had travelled to the town for a day out with two Spanish exchange students.
Friends and colleagues who had known the family before they moved said Mr Barker and his Irish wife Maria, had wanted to give James the best quality of life while continuing to play active roles in their communities.
Despite the sacrifice of commuting hundreds of miles every week, Mr Barker had remained a member of his local district council. His elder daughter, Estelle, is at university in England.
Chris Norman, leader of Runnymede Borough Council where Mr Barker had been a Conservative councillor since 1991, said: "They had moved to Ireland because they believed they would be able to get a better life out there.
"The surroundings were better, they were attracted by the schools and the chance for Maria to return home. But it involved a big sacrifice for all of them, with Victor still staying here to run his business.
"He was very committed to what he was doing, extremely hard-working and still carrying on his work with the council."
James, a keen sportsman who had been due to start at a Belfast prep school next month, was seen on television screens across the world as he was stretchered unconscious from the rubble of the Omagh bombing.
He died in hospital from his injuries along with Fernando Blasco, a Spanish exchange student who had been staying with the Barkers with his sister Uki, who suffered horrific head injuries in the blast.
Further Information
Publisher: NEWS LETTER
Ref: NL/053
Published Date: 18-Aug-98
Related Images
