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Crisis Talks is a podcast dedicated to crisis leaders. The people who have responded to crises and their stories of leadership and resilience in the face of of adversity.
Episodes
Thursday Sep 24, 2020
Thursday Sep 24, 2020
With thousands of Australians still stranded overseas due to the pandemic, I thought it was important to share the story of one man’s success despite another stunning failure of Australian Bureaucracy.
Shocked by a sudden and harsh lockdown in India in the early days of the pandemic, thousands of Australians turned to their High Commission and Foreign Affairs teams for advice on what to do, only to be told that there was no plan to help get them home. Enter Sanskrit student and English Teacher Simon Quinn, who wouldn't take no for an answer and set about coordinating his own repatriation plan, armed only with a facebook page and loads of initiative.
In this episode of Crisis Talks, hear the story of an unlikely hero’s success in repatriating over 2000 Australians home when our government couldn't.
Comments (10)
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The balls it would have taken to do this without any real government backing!
Sunday Feb 07, 2021
What a extraordinary, heart-warming display of intelligence, compassion, courage, and determination! Simon Quinn epitomises the kind of mateship and spirit that ordinary Australians want to see recognised.
Monday Jan 18, 2021
Great podcast. I was stuck in a hotel room in Varanasi and as a foreign woman travelling alone, I was really scared of what might happen. Simon was an absolute godsend. He checked in on me a couple of times a day for weeks, asking if I needed anything, telling me that he would get me out. He put me in contact with another Australian woman who was stuck nearby so I had someone to talk to. He got us both on the first Lion Air flight out of Delhi. I'll never forget.
Saturday Jan 16, 2021
thank you for making podcast. i was lucky i got tickets for one of the flights, it let me go back to my family in Australia. he will always be in my memory. thank you always to this Aussie hero
Monday Jan 04, 2021
Hes not only brilliant but also has a wicked sense of humour, would have been perfect for TV. there was months for them to do something before they did. It was left up to people like Simon to do it. He saw the writing on the wall well before anyone and took action, he constantly warned people of impending caps even before they were introduced, and told people to get home anyway they could. If only more people had listened
Wednesday Dec 23, 2020
But you know what has annoyed me over the past few months, it's the politicians like Kristina Kennealy who one day decided to say something about all the Australians stuck overseas after they had months to help them before the caps came in. This guy was on the ball way before that and it would have been good if someone as brilliant and articulate as him was the public face of this issue instead of the political clowns who just exploited the problem for their own gain when it suited them
Wednesday Dec 23, 2020
I only just came across this on a friend's feed and I wish i had earlier. My friend was on one of the flights and i followed the Facebook page closely while it was all happening. Simon was one extraordinary individual. I remember being sus at the beginning because it was just this Facebook profile with no pictures, this guy who just came out of nowhere. I'm surprised he did this podcast because he seemed to avoid the media when the whole thing was happening
Wednesday Dec 23, 2020
what this guy did is just insane... what a legend. you cant imagine what a nightmare it was in india at that time in march... the government should have just kept going with his flights instead of doing their nonsense with qantas. its sad that he just disappeared from social media one day.... wish him the best wherever he is
Saturday Nov 28, 2020
Thanks for bringing Simon on your podcast as many including me have been missing him from his very active social media presence.. Good Luck to you Simon and thanks for your support to many... hope we can catchup sometime when I get back to Aus
Sunday Sep 27, 2020
Simon was definitely a God sent for some... he did what Australian Govt couldn’t do it and still struggling after 6months into this pandemic and flight ban in India.
Sunday Sep 27, 2020
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