The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

4- PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, November 1, 1994 THE POSITIVE CHOICE FOR SCUGOG YVONNE CHRISTIE Scugog REGIONAL | COUNCILLOR November 14 YVONNE CHRISTIE X 985-2254 Authorized by CFO for Yvonne Christie Campaign By Kelly Lown "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" 'So far, so good,' says Alan Knight Shooting victim on mend with help of friends Port Perry Star Alan Knight has drawn a great deal of strength from the well wishes of others, as he re- covers from his gunshot wound. The Bank of Montreal manag- er, who was shot in the leg dur- ing the October 20 robbery of the branch, is "coming along' well." "So far, so good. I have had a lot of support and gained strength through flowers, cards and phone calls. It has been hec- tic, but the love and support has given me strength," he said. Released from hospital Octo- ber 24, Mr. Knight still relies on crutches to walk, but if he is careful he can walk a few steps on hisown. Mr. Knight underwent two hours of surgery at Oshawa General Hospital, where his wound was cleaned. "I was fortunate it did not touch the bone," he said of the bullet, which went in the left side of his leg, just above the knee, and out the otherside. Doctors are "hopeful of a full recovery," he added. Down the road, Mr. Knight will, however, have to undergo physiotherapy to regain full use of the limb. Mr. Knight, who has been the manager of the local branch for two years, has been with the Bank of Montreal since 1980. This is the first time anything of this magnitude has happened to him in his career, but he has "no feelings of fear" about continu- inghisbankingcareer. "Yes, I am angry that some- one can come in and devastate life like that, but it will not beat us or get us down," Mr. Knight told the Port Perry Star. Mr. Knight, who does not nor- mally work Thursday evenings at the bank was in the branch the night of the robbery to finish up some work. He prefers, at this time, not to talk of the spe- cifics of what happened during Together again KELLY LOWN/PORT PERRY STAR Alan Knight, manager of the Bank of Montreal relaxes at home with wife Pauline, son Chris, 17, and daughters Ashleigh, 12 and Emma, 7. Mr. Knight is recuperating after being shot in the leg during the October 20 bank robbery of the Icoal branch. the robbery, only saying "I couldn't believe what was hap- pening. It really was a traumat- icexperience." Much of Mr. Knight's concern lies with the staff of what he calls a "family-type branch." The events of that night have strengthed thatbond, he said. "I am proud of them. They handled it exceptionally well." "They are doing well, but it is not easy. Itis going to take time, but the bank has an excellent support staff which keeps in daily contact with them," he said, Mr. Knight has been to the lo- cal branch three times since the shooting saying it is important for him to see his staff. He says his staff, of whom six were on duty October 20, are suffering in a different way than he is, adding "often that is more difficult than the physical part togetover." Mr. Knight praises the police force for its diligent pursuit of - the suspects calling it "amazing: how quickly they were caught," He told of one police official who visited his home and told him "whether he liked it or not, he was now a member of the po- lice family." A family, Mr. Knight said he was "incredibly proud" to be a member of. "The police have been ex- tremely supportive. They can't do enough for me or my family," he added. The way the people of Port Perry reacted after the shoot- ings has also reinforced the feel- ings Mr. Knight and his family had when they first moved to the township. "The minute we arrived I thought it was a friendly town. What has happened and the way the town mobilized has done nothing but strengthen that feeling. fi has been a true community effort," he said. The Knights' have no thoughts of moving out of the area as "Port Perry provides the quality of life that we want," he added. in step with THE FRONT PORCH... OPEN HOUSE COMING SOON! Watch for Details 189 Queen St., Port Perry 985-7221 ELECT KAREN PUCKRIN WARD 5 COUNCILLOR call 985-3940 with issues and concerns Debbie Taylor at home From Page 1 inprogress across the street. Relaxing once the ambulance arrived, she said she knew then she would be taken care of. She has nothing but praise for all the professionals that aided her that night, the ambulance, police and doctors were "top- notch," she said. - "I can't believe the care and attention I was given. My biggest problem was I was hav- ing trouble breathing and be- cause of their quick efforts I thank them for my life. Every- thing was done so quickly." Coming home on Saturday was a bit of a surprise for Ms. Taylor, who was first told her stay in hospital would be three weeks and was then shortened to 10 days. She was elated when she was told earlier this week she would be returning home on the weekend. Physically Ms. Taylor will be fine and she says mentally she is doing just as well. "I have come to terms with it. It was a freaky thing. The five of us (victims) had Guardian An- gels watching over us," she told the Port Perry Star. "I know it will never happen again. I am certainly not afraid to walk the streets of Port Perry," she added. Authorized by the CFO - Karen Puckrin Election Campaign ----