Shockingly, a hero grandpa fired by a charity was sacked for wrestling a shark away from swimmers. According to a March 13 top news report by Gawker, Paul Marshallsea learned days ago that he and his wife were sacked from the charity they worked for over 10 years, apparently because they were supposed to be on sick leave.
Marshallsea, 62, and his 56-year-old wife took an approved two-month medical leave from the Pant and Dowlais Boys and Girls Club. Apparently, their doctor advised them to take a break from their fast-paced roles to treat stress-related conditions.
However, the grandma and grandpa were fired after they returned from a fun-filled vacation in Australia.
During the British couple's time off, they took to an Aussie beach. At some point, a commotion started up over a large shark swimming in the shallows. Once he realized the predator was within reach of children, Marshallsea jumped into action, grabbed the dusky shark by the tail and wrestled it away from the bathers.
A news camera nearby caught the entire rescue and posted the footage on the Internet. Immediately, the Brit was hailed a hero for saving the children's lives.
However, when he and his wife returned, a dismissal letter was waiting for them. The heroic grandfather and his wife were fired.
"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 letter read in part.
It went on to say that the charity's board had lost trust in the man and woman who were supposed to be on sick leave, but instead were sunning in Australia.
Marshallsea said he and his wife were shocked because they were not given a chance to explain themselves and were merely following doctor's orders. Who would argue that taking to the beach would not be good for stress?
Nonetheless, the trustees at the man's former employer released this statement after the termination:
"Mr Paul Marshallsea was dismissed for a variety of issues relating to the period leading up to the commencement of his sickness absence in April 2012. None of the issues related to his recent holiday in Australia. The Trustees are not in a position to make any further comment as to do so could involve divulging personal information relating to Mr Marshallsea a former employee."
With the woman and hero grandpa fired, did the charity make the right call?
Marshallsea, 62, and his 56-year-old wife took an approved two-month medical leave from the Pant and Dowlais Boys and Girls Club. Apparently, their doctor advised them to take a break from their fast-paced roles to treat stress-related conditions.
However, the grandma and grandpa were fired after they returned from a fun-filled vacation in Australia.
During the British couple's time off, they took to an Aussie beach. At some point, a commotion started up over a large shark swimming in the shallows. Once he realized the predator was within reach of children, Marshallsea jumped into action, grabbed the dusky shark by the tail and wrestled it away from the bathers.
A news camera nearby caught the entire rescue and posted the footage on the Internet. Immediately, the Brit was hailed a hero for saving the children's lives.
However, when he and his wife returned, a dismissal letter was waiting for them. The heroic grandfather and his wife were fired.
"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 letter read in part.
It went on to say that the charity's board had lost trust in the man and woman who were supposed to be on sick leave, but instead were sunning in Australia.
Marshallsea said he and his wife were shocked because they were not given a chance to explain themselves and were merely following doctor's orders. Who would argue that taking to the beach would not be good for stress?
Nonetheless, the trustees at the man's former employer released this statement after the termination:
"Mr Paul Marshallsea was dismissed for a variety of issues relating to the period leading up to the commencement of his sickness absence in April 2012. None of the issues related to his recent holiday in Australia. The Trustees are not in a position to make any further comment as to do so could involve divulging personal information relating to Mr Marshallsea a former employee."
With the woman and hero grandpa fired, did the charity make the right call?