As a life-saving response played out on the sands of Bombo Beach, no one would have contemplated that anything good could come of the night. 

It was dark when emergency service crews carried a critically injured Brett Connellan off the beach. 

The faces of onlookers were white with shock and fright. Connellan’s face was whiter still. A lean, 22-year-old surfer with a distinctive whip of thick blonde hair, blood seeped through the bandage on his leg. Underneath, three-quarters of his left thigh muscle was gone, leaving a wound so deep his bone was exposed.

His father Mal Connellan marvelled, horrified, at how colourless his son’s face had become. Brett was going to die, he was sure of it. 

But more than 18 months on, Connellan is physically fitter than ever, and mentally – he’s a powerhouse. 

Earlier this month, speaking to the Mercury from a bravery awards ceremony honouring his good friend and rescuer, Joel Trist, Connellan and his father described the strength and the deep bonds forged in the heat of unthinkable trauma. 

Connellan and Trist were surfing about 150 metres from shore when Trist heard his friend scream. Despite knowing Connellan’s blood would likely attract the shark, Trist paddled as fast as he could towards him, brought him to shore, and with an off-duty nurse applied life-saving tourniquets. 

“The thing I remember about Joel is just how confident and in command he was of the whole situation,” Connellan said. “He made all the right moves, and that’s what kept me alive. It’s kind of a bond that we will share for life now.”

Connellan deliberately didn’t look at his injured leg for the first three weeks he spent in St George Hospital. 

Early in his recovery, with a steady stream of friends and family visiting – Trist and Krowka among them - he honed in on the importance of optimism. 

“The doctors tend not to be overly optimistic. As far as the use of my leg, they were saying that maybe I’d be on crutches, or maybe I’d have to walk with a splint. but I’d always be like, ‘OK, I know you’re saying this, but I want to do better than that’.” 

Connellan’s injuries – he also suffered deep lacerations to his hand – required several marathon surgeries. Surgeons took muscle from his back and implanted it in his thigh, covering the exposed bone to prevent it from dying and giving him a chance of retaining use of the limb. 

Previously fit, Connellan surpassed all his doctors’ expectations, taking with gusto to an exhaustive physiotherapy regime focused on rebuilding the injured leg and readying him for a return to surfing.

“I was probably the happiest person alive when I was told that I could jump back onto my board,” he said. 

“Every time I surf I think about [the attack]. But I also think about the good that’s come of it. I’m lucky to be alive and really lucky to have great people around me. 

“I’ve talked to a lot of people who have been through life-changing experiences, and the main thing that we all share is that appreciation for life that you get. It sounds cliched, but you do realise how short life can be.”

Connellan and his parents travelled to Sydney on October 20 to see Trist, a science teacher at Dapto High School, receive a silver medal at the Royal Humane Society Awards. 

For Connellan’s father Mal, the service made him reflect on how close he came to losing his son. A high-ranking Fire and Rescue NSW official, he is in awe of his son.

“He’s put in the hours [of physiotherapy],” he said. “There’s a term – post-traumatic growth. I look at Brett and he’s used adversity to derive strength. 

“He’s just driven himself forward the whole way. We never thought he’d be in as good a condition as he is at any point in time, let alone 18 months after the accident. We’re so incredibly proud of him.

‘’People say, ‘that’s a reflection on you’. But he’s said and done things that I don’t know where that’s come from.

‘’There’s something inherent that’s really strong. It’s unfortunate to have to go through something like this for it to come out, but you wonder if it would have come out through life [otherwise].”

The Connellans say they consider Trist family now.

Mal Connellan found him humble, when he called to offer congratulations on receiving the Star of Courage earlier this year. 

“Joel thinks he’s done what anyone would do. But you can’t say that, because none of us know, unless we’re faced with it,” he said.   

“There’s a whole range of people that have become really close members of our family, that we will never be able to repay for what they’ve done for us.

“Life’s not like the six o’clock news. There’s a lot of goodness out there, and a lot of humanity out there.”