UK nurse who took an Aussie job ‘nobody wanted’ was FORCED to flee the country within months

Kelly Wainwright got a job in an Australian country town had always dreamed of working in Australia, but at the age of 43 her visa options were limited – until she took a role ‘nobody else wanted’ in the Queensland town of Mount Isa.

HER DREAM BECAME NIGHTMARE

Within months, the British nurse was back on a plane to the UK, fleeing Australia not because of ‘the weather or the creepy crawlies’ she thought might be hard to cope with, but because violent crime made her feel unsafe in her own home.

Before she arrived in the outback town, Wainwright was not aware of its high levels of crime and violence.

When she arrived, she thought it ‘just looked like any dusty old cowboy town in the middle of the outback’, but she soon found out the looks were deceiving. 

HOW SHE WAS FORCED TO LEAVE

Ms Wainwright took a manager’s role in the sexual health unit of Mt Isa Hospital, a position that had been vacant for almost two years before she arrived. 

She told 9News that not ‘for one second’ did she think ‘the volatility of the area’ would soon see her flee the town and the country.

Six weeks after she arrived, Ms Wainwright’s government-provided home was broken into. 

Not long after that, her home was targeted by teenagers, who allegedly brutally assaulted a 14-year-old relative staying with her.

‘GO AND LEARN HOW TO FIGHT’

Footage of the alleged attack showed a vicious brawl with kicking, punching and slapping between at least three teenage girls at the house. 

Ms Wainwright reported the attack to police but said she was told: ‘You live in Mt Isa, I suggest you go and learn how to fight.’

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Her employers were so concerned for her safety they asked senior health officials to move her and her teenage cousin to a safer home. 

But the request was denied, she said.

Emails obtained by Nine revealed the nurse’s manager writing: ‘I have fears for Kelly and her family’s immediate emotional wellbeing as a result of informing them that their request to move was not supported.’

HER OPTION WAS ‘EITHER HERE OR THERE’

Ms Wainwright soon found she could not cope with the situation any longer, but as her visa was specifically tied to the Mt Isa Hospital job, she decided her only option was to go home to the UK.

She left in such a hurry that she just packed her bags and got out of there.