A NSW town has turned on a teenager hailed as a hero for trying to saving his dying mate from a shark attack.
Just one year after his brave act, 17-year-old Brock Curtis says he is now a victim in his own community of Wollongbar, 20km inland from Ballina on the northern NSW coast.
Residents shout abuse at his family home from passing cars, pick fights with him and even send text messages saying he should have been attacked by the shark, the Gold Coast Bulletin reports.
The abuse stems from untrue rumours that Brock and his family have received large sums of money to do media interviews, his family says.
"People are cruel, people are heartless and people can form their own opinions," Brock's mother, Victoria Mathew, was quoted as saying.
"What people need to realise is my son held on to his best friend while he died."
Brock gained nationwide fame in April last year after going to the aid of friend Peter Edmonds, 16, who was bitten on the leg by a shark while bodyboarding off Lighthouse Beach.
Brock found his best mate floating face up in the surf, dragged him to the beach and performed CPR.
Peter died from his injuries but Brock received a Royal Lifesaving Society bravery award for his efforts.
He said he never accepted money for media interviews, despite some generous offers.
"I didn't even know these stories were going around, then one day I got told everyone in the town knows ... it's ridiculous," he was quoted as saying.
Ms Mathew added: "People have said things that aren't true and small-town syndrome has let it bubble."
She said they have even considered packing up and leaving town.
It has been a difficult year for Brock. He reportedly lost his father to cancer last November and was expelled from school just earlier this year.
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