Are Girls Safe At Brisbane City Backpackers?

Guest Post by: Darrell

While hosteling in Brisbane a rather disturbing event took place involving an employee at Brisbane City Backpackers and the safety of one of their female guests. A hostel roomate and I had met a few girls in a local bar one evening. Later that night I was returning from a neighbouring hostel where a female friend wanted to borrow my computer and noticed a girl passed out on the ground in the pathway to City Backpackers. I recognised her as one of the girls I had met earlier that evening. There was a guy learing over her and intantly I knew something was not right. I saw my hostel roomate next door at the bar and asked if he knew the guy. We went outside and confronted the him. We asked if he knew her and he said he did but got her name wrong. Then he said he worked with her but we knew what she did for work (in a different city) and also knew that it was her first night in Brisbane. Next he said this was not the girl we knew and it was sombody else (her face was obscured by her arm). At that point my hostel roomate said to the guy, "Are you telling me if I call my friend on my phone... and this girls phone rings... then this is still not my friend?" At which point he made the call and the girls purse began to ring. The guy, sensing he was busted and and was about to get the snot kicked out of him buggered off. During this time I was gesturing to the hostel reception for assistance but the individual in the office was just watching. I walked into the reception area and knocked on the door. An employee opened it and I told him there is a girl out front who is a guest of this hostel (I even told him which building she was staying) and she is passed out and needs help. There are guys approaching her and it is not safe. I asked if he could have somebody bring her into the hostel, even if it is just in the reception area. His response was quick and rather dispicable - "Just leave her there." Again, I mentioned that that was not safe and that she would be better off inside. The prick then said "Are you even a guest at this hostel?, It's not your problem, we have cameras, just leave her there". Nice to know that this sicko is okay with a girl getting assulted as long as it is captured on closed circut video. At that point it was clear that this idiot was getting angry with me for attemping to help out and I got the sense he was wanting me to leave the premises, either by force or by the police... I actually thought that if he called the cops that would be GREAT, then at least the police would make sure the girl got inside.

I went back outside where my roomate was trying to talk to his friend and convince her to go to her room... but she was not coherent. At this point two different hostel employees came out of City Backpackers. There were wearing walkie talkies and did the right thing (an English guy and American guy). They asked who she was and we gave them all her information, including when she checked in and the names of the two other girls in her room. They confirmed her as a guest and had one of the other girls in the room come out and get her. Once we knew she was okay and the two good employees said that she was fine my roomate and I left immediately.

The next day I was invited to the Brisbane City Backpackers hostel bar for a drink by the girls that I lent my computer to. When I walked in I saw the girl that was passed out from the previous night and she came over to give me a hug and thank me, her friends did the same. I found out that she did not in fact know the guy I saw learing over her and he was in fact attemping to sexually assault her. Moments later I was approached by the same prick (I was told his name was Kym) who, the night before told me to "Just leave her." Still angry withy me for interveining, the hot headed imbecile said, "I recognnise you from last night... when you are done your drink I want you to leave this bar and get off the property."

And there you have it, I was kicked out of a bar for trying to help one of their guests.

To a-hole (Kym Morris), of Brisbane Backpackers... If you are not willing to give any assistence you should not be in any position of authority at Brisbane City Backpackers or be a wannabe manager of a bar. Leaving a guest of your hostel to be assulted on the street is discracefull, to mention she's fine because you have video cameras and still do nothing is seriously sick and your employer should re-evaluate if they want people like you representing their hostel - but just a personal message from me to you - SCREW YOU, you weak and pittiful excuse for a human being.