Unintentional hilarity!!

[Gob]

A charity worker has been sacked after his bosses saw footage of him wrestling a shark in Australia while he was on sick leave for stress.



Paul Marshallsea, 62, from Merthyr Tydfil, grabbed the shark by the tail as it swam towards children and dragged it to deeper water off Bulcock Beach.

His story made headlines across the world and lifeguards praised him.

He has been sacked by the Pant and Dowlais Boys and Girls Club which blamed a "breakdown" of confidence.

Mr Marshallsea and his wife Wendy, 56, were on extended sick leave for work-related stress from the charity for which they had worked 10 years.

They visited friends on a two-month break in Australia and were having a barbecue on the beach when a fin was spotted in the water.

Mr Marshallsea ran into the sea where he was filmed dragging the 6ft-long (1.8m) dusky whaler shark into deeper water.

The charity's former project co-ordinator, said: "If I hadn't gone in to save the kids on that beach that day my wife and I would still have a job."

The couple had taken sick leave due to stress.

"The stress of running this in your own community - it's like a monster," said Mr Marshallsea.

"We created a whip to hit our own backs. It grew so big and we didn't realise. There was no stopping it."

"Our doctor advised us to go on holiday so we travelled to stay with friends in Australia."

"I never thought for one minute that wrestling with shark would cost me my job."

A spokeswoman on behalf of the trustees for Pant and Dowlais Boys & Girls Club said the charity was advised by its solicitors not to comment on the matter.

In a letter to Mr Marshallsea seen by the BBC, he was told by the trustees: "Whilst unfit to work you were well enough to travel to Australia and, according to recent news footage of yourself in Queensland, you allegedly grabbed a shark by the tail and narrowly missed being bitten by quickly jumping out of the way.

"The photographs and footage appeared in newspapers and television broadcasts."

Mr Marshallsea said he received a second letter stating: "The breakdown of the trustees' confidence and trust in you and your ability to perform the role is so great that we find that dismissal is the only course of action we can recommend."

[oldr_n_wsr]

Getting a leave from your job because of stress?
Both spouses at the same time?
Something is fishy here.

[Lord Jim]

Okay, I'm having a difficult time understanding this...

The guy wasn't on leave for something physical, claiming that he had some sort of limited mobility, or anything like that...

He was on leave for "stress"...

If you're on leave for work related "stress" what could possibly be more natural than taking a vacation? It seems to me that in those circumstances, taking a vacation would be a recommended treatment...

What are you supposed to do when you're on leave for "stress"? Cower naked in a fetal position in a corner of your bedroom?

Doesn't seem like that would be very helpful...

[Gob]

Sounds like the guy had swung his employers a load of old bullshit and he got found out; "I'm too stressed to leave the house, I cannot cope with crowds, and I'm a physical wreck because of it."

Edited to add; the bits in bold may be a clue..

Mr Marshallsea, 62, from Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales, had been away from his role as a project coordinator at the Pant and Dowlais Boys and Girls Club since last April. He claims he and his wife, Wendy, 56, went on holiday on the advice of his GP, having become so heavily involved in the club that he was sometimes working seven days a week. They had been enjoying a barbecue on the beach outside Brisbane in January when they heard cries of “Help, shark!”.

He'd been on the sick for 9 months, probably being paid sick pay by the charity.

[Gob]

[oldr_n_wsr]

I admire him for helping. Bilking the system is not a good thing, but it seems that it is systemic. I mean, stress on the job? Welcome to the working class buddy.

[MajGenl.Meade]

So... I guess he jumped it?

[oldr_n_wsr]

Him and Fonzie.