TRADERS PLEDGE SUPPORT FOR BEREAVED AND INJURED
Traders pledge support for bereaved and injured
THE business people of Omagh will give their support to all in the community affected by the Market Street bomb - just as the community had shown their support for the business people, the chairman of Omagh Traders Association said this week.
Mr. Roy Allen said that despite the physical damage to property, the uppermost thoughts of the business community lay with the bereaved and injured.
"Our condolences and best wishes go to all those bereaved and injured," Mr. Allen said.
"We also feel that those who are injured are in the capable hands of the hospital authorities, who are working around the clock to see they get the best care possible."
Mr. Allen said he was conscious, too, of the work of the emergency services and the members of the public who responded in the immediate aftermath of the bomb blast.
He commended the work of the district council's leisure centre staff who had given comfort in the hours after the explosion.
And he went on to say that the event of reflection in the town centre on Saturday had caught the mood of the moment perfectly.
"This community was united in grieving after the blast, and the act of reflection gave a focus to that. It gave people who had expressed their sorrow to individual families an opportunity to show that in a wider context," Mr. Allen said.
Dignified
He said the occasion had been dignified, moving and perfectly appropriate.
The business people were determined to see that right was done by those who grieved, and those who were injured, Mr. Allen went on.
This, he said, was more important than the physical acts of rebuilding damaged properties.
"Bricks and mortar can, and will, be replaced, and we must think of those whose suffering will continuing for many years to come," he said.
"As, and when, injured people get out of hospital, the business people, and the community as a whole, will welcome them back." In the days and weeks ahead there would be talk of memorials, and a tactful approach would be needed to ensure that everything was done correctly, and tastefully, Mr. Allen said.
"We will never forget what happened, and we do not want to", he said.
Still, Mr. Allen said, Omagh would look to the future, and that had already begun to happen.
"We want to thank all of the people who came into town on Monday. They went into businesses and put their hands across the counters in a spirit of friendship. They told us we were doing the right thing, and we appreciate that," he said.
And Mr. Allen said the association acknowledged the hard work, and dedication of the council chief executive, Mr. John McKinney, and his staff in co-ordinating an emergency plan and acting properly and promptly for the good of Omagh.
THE business people of Omagh will give their support to all in the community affected by the Market Street bomb - just as the community had shown their support for the business people, the chairman of Omagh Traders Association said this week.
Mr. Roy Allen said that despite the physical damage to property, the uppermost thoughts of the business community lay with the bereaved and injured.
"Our condolences and best wishes go to all those bereaved and injured," Mr. Allen said.
"We also feel that those who are injured are in the capable hands of the hospital authorities, who are working around the clock to see they get the best care possible."
Mr. Allen said he was conscious, too, of the work of the emergency services and the members of the public who responded in the immediate aftermath of the bomb blast.
He commended the work of the district council's leisure centre staff who had given comfort in the hours after the explosion.
And he went on to say that the event of reflection in the town centre on Saturday had caught the mood of the moment perfectly.
"This community was united in grieving after the blast, and the act of reflection gave a focus to that. It gave people who had expressed their sorrow to individual families an opportunity to show that in a wider context," Mr. Allen said.
Dignified
He said the occasion had been dignified, moving and perfectly appropriate.
The business people were determined to see that right was done by those who grieved, and those who were injured, Mr. Allen went on.
This, he said, was more important than the physical acts of rebuilding damaged properties.
"Bricks and mortar can, and will, be replaced, and we must think of those whose suffering will continuing for many years to come," he said.
"As, and when, injured people get out of hospital, the business people, and the community as a whole, will welcome them back." In the days and weeks ahead there would be talk of memorials, and a tactful approach would be needed to ensure that everything was done correctly, and tastefully, Mr. Allen said.
"We will never forget what happened, and we do not want to", he said.
Still, Mr. Allen said, Omagh would look to the future, and that had already begun to happen.
"We want to thank all of the people who came into town on Monday. They went into businesses and put their hands across the counters in a spirit of friendship. They told us we were doing the right thing, and we appreciate that," he said.
And Mr. Allen said the association acknowledged the hard work, and dedication of the council chief executive, Mr. John McKinney, and his staff in co-ordinating an emergency plan and acting properly and promptly for the good of Omagh.
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/0294
Published Date: 27-Aug-98
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