Christmas hasn't felt very jolly for former public servant Ngoc Luan Ho Trieu after he was given a cruel 'Secret Santa' gift at an end-of-year work party two years ago.

Mr Ngoc, who was working as an economic modeller with the Australian Department of Finance, says he was humiliated by the anonymous gift of a plastic reindeer that poo-ed chocolate pellets when its tail was pulled.

He says the toy, presented at a function with forty colleagues from the division, ruined his public service career of 37 years. It came with a piece of play dough written with the words 'Luan's modelling kit'.

'I remember one of the division asked me laughingly, what did I get? and I said: "A reindeer modelling poo s***" and I walk out,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

Economist Ngoc Luan Ho Trieu was humiliated to be given a plastic reindeer that poo-ed chocolate from a Secret Santa at his work Christmas party two years ago, saying 'someone was saying they thought my economic modelling was S***'



The economist, who had been working on financial models for aged-care, disability support and job-start programs with the department for seven years, says he has suffered psychological trauma and a loss of confidence since the incident.

'Somebody was saying they didn't like my work, they didn't understand and value the modelling, that my modelling was S***,' Mr Ngoc said.

He never found out who the gift was from, but discovered through colleagues that is was someone in a more senior position in the Australian Public Service.

'I can accept if it had come from a person below me - and I could try to explain it and not get upset about bullying, it's just ignorance then, ' said Mr Ngoc.

'But what I'm most afraid about is that this was a person above me, in a position of authority. This kind of thing is an offence to me and to the profession.'

He said an apology from the offender would not help, the damage was done.

'Nobody talked to me to resolve the problem, some of my colleagues and friends said the person should send me an apology, but I'm a proud a person,' said Mr Ngoc.

When Mr Ngoc discovered the anonymous gift had been given by someone more senior to him in the department, he quit his job with the Australian Public Service and says he has suffered psychological and emotional damage since

Mr Ngoc returned to work in the New Year but said he felt uncomfortable and sad, and when a redundancy was offered soon after, he grudgingly took it.

'Even my wife, she was complaining to me about why I would so easily get bad-tempered since the day I quit the APS - but I am not a person to burden other people with my problems so I didn't tell her at the time.'

It was only after reading an article about the 'dangers' of public service Christmas parties, that Mr Ngoc approached a journalist at the Canberra times to tell his story.

'I feel much relieved after speaking with the media and I received support from some of my finance colleagues. At least now my wife understands why I was so angry now,' he said.

'It's just unfortunate that some idiot played a joke, maybe someone was jealous or thought that I was a trouble-maker but I always try to do my best.'

Mr Ngoc is not working at the moment and says he doesn't know what's next on the horizon.

'After this event, I don't know if I want to work with the APS again. I want to get a job that will make use of my experience and my analytical skills in particular but I'm not sure where.'