As a young teacher fights for her life after a shark attack, her brother is praising heroic beachgoers and medical professionals for rescuing her.
Leah Stewart has had her arm amputated after being bitten by a suspected great white shark while swimming in between the flags and close to shore at Coogee Beach on Saturday.
On Tuesday afternoon, she remained in hospital in ICU in a critical condition, having been through multiple surgeries including the arm amputation, with multiple more procedures needed as she continues her battle.
Stewart's brother Josh returned to Sydney from his overseas home of Indonesia as soon as he was made aware of the incident.
The wider family is not only rallying around Stewart, 34, but her baby daughter, aged just one.
"It's just awful," Josh told AAP.
"We've all been coming together to try and do the things we can, focus on all those supports you can put up and wrap around the family."
As debate swirled about shark culling after the horrific attack, Josh preferred to focus on the heroes who have given his sister a fighting chance.
"We'd like to give a huge thank you to the doctors, nurses, and support staff … the care they've been giving Leah is just phenomenal," he said.
"It was that really swift action all the people on the beach took, lifesavers, first responders, everyone there, the paramedics … they are why we've still got Leah here."
Along with a string of donations to a fundraiser – which has raised more than AU$310,000 (NZ$376,000) in little more than a day – Josh said he had been inundated with messages of support and love for his younger sister.
"Leah's just an amazing person … so many friends of Leah have reached out," he said.
"It's been really wonderful, the outpouring of support from the community, we've had friends of Leah's dropping around meals, giving so much care and love."
Leah Stewart was swimming close to the shore on Coogee beach when she was mauled by what is believed to have been a 3.5m great white shark. (Source: Nine)
The attack reignited calls to cull shark populations to protect swimmers, with former prime minister Tony Abbott joining other politicians coming out strongly in favour of the measure.
NSW Premier Chris Minns noted the great white shark population would not be culled as it is protected.
He did admit there needed to be a rethink of how the issue of sharks is approached after several bull shark attacks in January.
Experts said there is little evidence shark culls keep ocean-goers safer.
Surveillance methods, including employing spotters from vantage points to alert swimmers, were more effective, some experts said.
Shark nets, another method of separating humans from marine predators, are set to be installed at the start of September.
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