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The girlfriend of one the soldiers murdered at Massareene
Barracks in Antrim last year has thanked local Orangemen for
raising money in their memory.
Orangemen in Randalstown District sold 12,000 badges they
designed in memory of the two soldiers - Patrick Azimkar and
Mark Quinsey.
A total of £15,000 was presented by the Orange Order
to the Royal Engineers Benevolent Fund.
At the event, a letter was read from Louise Potter, girlfriend
of Patrick Azimkar.
It said:
"I would like to say thank you for the badges. They are
wonderful. Myself, Pat's family and friends have been wearing
them with pride and we feel honoured that the people of Antrim
have put together such brilliant and beautiful badges for
our boys."
The Orange Order in Randalstown also received a letter from
Patrick's father Mehmet Azimkar.
It said:
"We are very pleased that these lovely badges created
in memory of our beloved son Patrick and his friend Mark Quinsey
have raised £15,000 for the Royal Engineers Benevolent
Fund.
"We have been touched by the extraordinary support of
the local people of Antrim and would like to thank you all
for your solidarity."
Alan Nicholl, Secretary of Randalstown District, said:
"Many of us in Northern Ireland had hoped and thought
that the days of shootings and bombings were behind us however
we very quickly realised that was not the case.
"Some of us were at a function in Ballymena as news
of the shootings in Antrim came through on March 7 last year.
Two days later, the province was plunged into deeper darkness
when Constable Stephen Carroll of the PSNI was murdered in
Craigavon.
"At a meeting of our District Orange Lodge we felt we
wanted to do something to show our support and solidarity
for both the Army and the Police at that time.
"We decided in the short term to organise a coffee morning
and raised £1350, which was divided between the Benevolent
Funds for the PSNI and the Royal Engineers.
"Because of the close proximity to us, of the murders
in Antrim, we decided that we would also design a badge in
memory of the two soldiers.
"We designed and made 1000 badges and they were sold
in 10 days so we had to re-order and keep re-ordering until
we sold 12,000.
"We have sold them all over Northern Ireland and in
Germany, the United States and Canada.
"It was a privilege and honour for some of us to meet
with members of the Azimkar and Quinsey family in October
when they came to Antrim for a memorial event at the offices
of Antrim Borough Council. We were also glad to have the approval
of the families for what we were doing."
Lt.Col. John McLennan, Controller of the Royal Engineers
Association said:
"The REA is a charity that looks after the family of
the Corps of Royal Engineers when they have fallen on hard
times. Last year we financially assisted over 1,000 members
of the family at a cost of more than £1/2M.
"The very generous gesture of the Orange Order Randalstown
District to our charity is most gratefully received and will
help continue our work for the benefit of our hard pressed
sappers for many years in the future."
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