URSULA Bakker, the Tamworth grandmother allegedly robbed and left for dead in a shopping centre car park last month, has been released from hospital as she continues her painstaking recovery.
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The 79-year-old has no recollection of the broad daylight attack on December 14 in the City Plaza car park that left her with a bleed on the brain, a broken nose, broken arm and extensive bruising.
Her sister Agnes Riley said while Mrs Bakker was making steady progress and was determined to regain full health, the family feared she may never get back to her “spritely self”.
“We’re a little reluctant to say she might get back to where she was,” Mrs Riley said.
“But even in the last few days she’s been brighter than she’s been in the entire three weeks.
“She’s able to get in and out of bed by herself and in and out of a chair.
“We’re quite pleased with her progress.”
Mrs Bakker’s alleged attacker, Samuel Glen Tighe, 21, remains in custody and will front court next on February 12.
While she was released from hospital just before Christmas, Mrs Bakker was not well enough to attend the family’s Christmas lunch.
And the former music teacher was still struggling to remember the attack, Mrs Riley said.
“She has no recollection of the actual event and she’ll often ask ‘what was I doing?’,” Mrs Riley said.
“But we’re glad for that. If she did have some recollection, I think she’d be too scared to go out again.
“She holds no animosity to those responsible; that’s the sort of person she is.”
She continued to suffer severe pain in her broken arm, Mrs Riley said, and numbness in other parts of her body. “She’s made of tough stuff though and her attitude is fantastic,” Mrs Riley said.
“The amount of calls, gifts and cards we’ve received is amazing.”
Mrs Bakker’s close friend Marg Schofield said the incident had shocked those close to the popular grandmother.
“You hear about these sorts of things but it never hits home until it happens to someone you know,” Mrs Schofield said.
“Ursula is such a spritely, active woman and it’s a great shock to think something like this could happen in Tamworth.”