A MORUYA family is reeling after two of their own were taken as hostages and subsequently injured in Monday’s Lindt Café siege.
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Robin Hope (nee Quinn), 74, and her daughter, Louisa Hope, 52, are both former Moruya residents and now live in Sydney.
It is understood Louisa, who has MS and uses a walking stick, was used as human shield by the gunman, and was dragged around each time he moved his position.
She received what is believed to be a shrapnel wound to her foot from police stun guns, while Robin was shot in the shoulder by the gunman.
Both were among the last to be rescued after police stormed the Sydney cafe in a hail of gunfire on Tuesday morning and are now recovering in hospital.
A Moruya-based relative of the pair contacted the Bay Post/Moruya Examiner this week to raise awareness of the fact that it was not just people in Sydney who were hurting.
“This is a ripple effect through many families and the whole of Australia is in trauma right now and their families are even more traumatised because of the fact that they were in there,” she said.
“We didn’t know they were in there until the siege was over.
“We were watching the footage and feeling all this compassion for the people in there and then (we found) out that our family was in there.
“I’m still in disbelief.”
The relative said Louisa, who has MS, was expected to remain in hospital.
“We found out (Wednesday night) she will be having major ankle surgery so she’s going to be in hospital for at least another two weeks to a month,” she said.
“She was the last one in there alive because she was exhausted - she didn’t have the strength to actually be able to get up and leave.”
The relative said both women were doing okay.
“At the moment they are grateful that they made it out,” she said.
“They’re in separate hospitals but they’ve had the best care. They’ve been given private rooms.”
She said the family was close-knit but Louisa and Robin were “as tough as nails”.
“They are good, honest, praying people,” she said.
“This will not break their spirit at all.
“(Robin) is more worried about the younger (people) that were in there that haven’t gone through the things in life that she has.”