Why UK nurse Kelly Wainwright took an Aussie health job in Mount Isa ‘nobody wanted’ but was forced to flee the country within months
A British nurse who got a job in an Australian rural town thought she was making her dream come true, but that dream quickly turned into a nightmare.
Kelly Wainwright had always dreamed of working in Australia, but at the age of 43 her visa options were limited – until she took on a role that ‘no one else wanted’ in the Queensland town of Mount Isa.
Within months she was back on a plane to Britain and fleeing Australia, not because of “the weather or the creepy crawlies” she thought would be difficult to deal with, but because violent crimes made her feel unsafe gifts in her own home.
Before arriving in the outback town, Ms Wainwright was unaware of the high levels of crime and violence.
When she arrived, she thought it “just looked like a dusty old cowboy town in the middle of the outback,” but she soon discovered that appearances can be deceiving.
British nurse Kelly Wainwright (pictured), who got a job in an Australian town where ‘no one else wanted’, thought she would make her dream come true, but that dream quickly turned into a nightmare
Before arriving in the outback town, Ms Wainwright was unaware of the high levels of crime and violence
Ms Wainwright filled the role of manager in the sexual health department at Mt Isa Hospital, a position that had been vacant for almost two years before she arrived.
She said 9News that she didn’t think for “a second” that “the volatility of the area” would soon have her fleeing the city and the country.
Six weeks after her arrival, Mrs. Wainwright’s government-provided home was broken into.
Not long after, her home was targeted by teenagers, who allegedly brutally attacked a 14-year-old relative who was staying with her.
Footage of the alleged attack showed a vicious brawl involving kicking, punching and punching between at least three teenage girls at the home.
Ms Wainwright reported the attack to police but said she was told: ‘You live in Mt Isa, I suggest you learn to fight.’
Her employers were so concerned about her safety that they asked top health officials to move her and her teenage nephew to a safer home.
But the request was denied, she said.
Emails obtained by Nine showed the nurse’s manager wrote: ‘I fear for the immediate emotional well-being of Kelly and her family as a result of being told that their request to move was not supported.’
Mrs Wainwright soon discovered she could no longer cope with the situation, but because her visa was specifically linked to the job at Mt Isa Hospital, she decided her only option was to go home to Britain.
She left in such a hurry that she just packed her bags and got away.
Mrs Wainwright (pictured) soon found she could no longer cope, but because her visa was specifically linked to the job at Mt Isa Hospital, she decided her only option was to go home to Great Britain Britain.
“I just gave away all my belongings and we left with just our suitcases,” she said.
It was “really disheartening” that she wasn’t supported in “the way we should have been,” she said.
North West Hospital and Health Service declined to comment on individual cases but said it provides “safe” accommodation that “meets the needs of our employees”.
In a recent crackdown on youth violence on Mount Isa, more than 30 young people were arrested between April 26 and May 3, resulting in 84 charges.