Port Macquarie English teacher John Campbell loves nothing more than the privilege of teaching our native language, especially overseas.
But after a horror experience in the Maldives last year, he won’t be heading abroad any time soon.
Mr Campbell accepted a job at an international school in the Maldives two years ago, looking forward to the island life and helping “spread the word”.
But when he left the country, after finishing up with the school, he said he then went to “hell and back”, having monies withheld, everything he owned stolen, and a “bureaucratic nightmare”, trying to right the wrongs he said were done to him.
The teacher with 10 years’ experience, said his darkest days were in December 2010, when, waiting to be paid his remaining salary and unable to get a response from any authorities, he was forced to beg and sleep on the streets.
An immigration official finally came to his rescue, he said.
Mr Campbell said his experience turned sour when the school failed to pay him one month’s salary on completion of his contract, in addition to holiday leave owing and other expenses.
He said he was given a “handshake” payment far less than that owed but in a cheque form in local currency which he claims he was unable to change into a usable currency anywhere outside of the Maldives.
Mr Campbell said he decided to pursue his cause with authorities, but his concerns, he alleged, were “brushed under the carpet”.
He said he had no choice but leave and went to Thailand to be with his wife.
Before he left, he paid a trusted local to care for his possessions and monies: “everything except the shirt on my back”.
He said he could not cash the cheque in Thailand and so returned to the Maldives to fight for his cause.
But the nightmare continued, he said.
All his possessions, along with the man he trusted to care for them, had disappeared.
Even the beloved catamaran he built had been stripped bare.
He sought assistance on the matter but said he was unable to gain any ground through official channels — not about his stolen goods, the thief, the school or the monies owed.
But he would not give up easily.
Soon he was forced to cash in his airline ticket back to Australia to survive.
But the money ran out and he found himself starving, penniless and without a roof over his head.
Having nowhere to turn, Mr Campbell finally resorted to asking his sister for the money for a flight home, but not before he had spent a week living on the streets.
He returned to Port Macquarie in May a broke man, but not broken, he said.
To date, he has sent authorities in the Maldives over 2000 letters/emails/correspondence, he said.
But no answers.
He called on the help of Port Macquarie MP Leslie Williams, who was unable to assist, Mr Campbell said.
He also contacted Independent member for Lyne Rob Oakeshott whose team, he said, were going to look into the matter.
Luck is returning for Mr Campbell, who has secured a job in Newcastle and will commence at his forte of teaching in the coming weeks.
But he said he was determined to see his case in the Maldives through.
“I just want four simple answers to four simple questions which I believe are well within my rights under Maldive law, any law,” Mr Campbell said about the alleged actions.
“Firstly, what happened to the guy charged with stealing all of my things?
“What happened to the charges against the principal?
“What happened to things being stolen from my room at the school?
“What happened about my underpayments and withheld monies?”
