On March 28, Simon took a leap of faith and launched an open-access spreadsheet on WhatsApp for Australians to register their details. "Most Aussies in India are of Indian heritage. So, they were familiar with the local language and had their families around. Those facing major challenges were foreign tourists. They were stuck in hotels; some of the hostels had shut down. There was this one guy who was in the hills in Tamil Nadu and there was no way for him to get out."

Simon created a group on Facebook called Australians Stuck in India, where he started to speak to them individually. When things got out of hand, and thousands of messages started pouring in, he created an army of expats across India to use their assistance. "Meanwhile, we advertised our WhatsApp group on the Australian High Commission website, and more distressed people got in touch with us. I had been liaising with someone at the High Commission and asking them about the efforts made to organise flights. I would then communicate this information on the WhatsApp and Facebook groups."

Poll

Who will win the Punjab Elections?

BJP 32.86%

AAP 41.43%

INC 25.71%

Submit

View All In Poll

Australian couple Chloe Dimopoulos and Ben Munro were stuck in a Jaipur hospital for three weeks despite testing negative twice

The Indian government banned international flights from India even before the lockdown was imposed. So, Simon explored charter flights. "I found Brendon Hempel, who runs a Melbourne-based charter company Stratos Group Aviation. He was chartering planes from China to Australia to transport medical equipment. I asked him if he could do the same with passengers. With Hempel's help, we got in touch with Lion Air."

Simon then asked the High Commission if it would support them. "It wouldn't have been possible without their representation. They needed to lobby the Indian government to get the necessary permissions," he says.

By the second week of April, the group managed to secure permissions from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). "But this was only half the battle won. Now, we had to get people to the airport. At that time, the permit system for local travel was chaotic. There was a lot of confusion between the central government and the states. It was only when the High Commission identified stranded Australians and gave their names to the Centre, that the list was passed on to the various state governments. This is how we got 440 of them to Delhi airport, and they sat on their first flight to Melbourne on April 12. So much could have gone wrong, and so much did, but we pulled this off. The most rewarding experience for me was when Chloe and Ben made it to this first flight to Melbourne. I won't forget that moment," he remembers.

On April 16, another charter took off. Barry O'Farrell, Australia's High Commissioner to India, tweeted: "Another charter, JT2846, supported by the High Commission, took off from Delhi for Melbourne with 425 passengers. It was organised by Australians led by Simon Quinn. Thanks to the Indian authorities for facilitation."

While Simon has received no material reward, the Facebook page he started is now flooded with messages, this time, however, with thank yous. He is deemed 'Australian of the year' and 'people's hero' by his new fans. "In April, we managed to arrange five flights—three from Delhi, one from Mumbai and one from Chennai. A total of 2,000 people were sent home. After this, the Australian government had stepped up its efforts, so we could take a backseat."
In the second week of July,

Simon decided to leave India. Soon after he landed, the Australian government introduced a cap on international arrivals at Sydney Airport to ease Coronavirus quarantine demands. Simon continues to operate the Facebook page, by posting informative videos to reach out to stranded Australians. "I am assuming that at least 5,000 people are still stuck in India. Their last hope is with Air India as it has just announced that it will resume flights to Australia," he signs off.

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news