Kiama local Brett Connellan likens his experiences since a shark attack five years ago to a plant’s ability to survive bushfires and respond positively to change.

“The pyrophytic species of plants can tolerate fire and use fire to germinate and regrow, so it symbolises that part of my journey; the fire as the shark attack and then that regrowth and coming out the other side bigger, stronger and better,” says Brett.

Hence PYROPHYTIC as the name of a documentary he is making to tell his story.

The film will explore the attack but focus more on the events that have happened since. It will look at Brett’s recovery from being told he might never surf or walk again to getting back on the board only months later and his continued development.

The final piece of the film will see him competing in the Molokai to Oahu paddleboard event, a 52km open ocean paddle in Hawaii next year.

“Everyone wants to hear about the shark attack and that’s totally understandable because it’s not very often you get to hear those stories,” says Brett.

“But I want to try and shake that convention of being known as the guy who got attacked by a shark to wanting people to focus on what has happened afterwards.”

The project started last year as a five minute video portrait on Brett, with help from cinematographer Sam Tolhurst, and has turned into a full feature documentary set to be released late next year.

“When I finally sat back and had a look at the whole story, I realised there was a huge piece I was missing and that was the parts of my story that weren’t actually mine to tell,” says Brett.

“So one big focus of drawing it out to make it into a feature was so that we could include the perspectives of the people who have played a major part in my story.

“I’ve actually taken on a director’s role in the film which has been very unique, as I can allow for the story to be framed in the way that I would like to see it.

“I’ve even found out things from my story that I didn’t know about.

“I like the way we have gone about it even though it’s probably not the most conventional way to build up a documentary.”

He says the film is just one way of saying thanks to everyone who had helped him through it, including locals starting the Surfers for Bretto fund after the attack.

Brett in his element Photo: Sam Tolhurst

“One of the things I’ve learnt through it, and a big motivator for me, is to try and give back to a lot of people because one thing that I was really, really fortunate for throughout my recovery was that support from the local community,” he says.

“It’s something that I can genuinely say is one of the biggest things that has helped me and the best way to say thanks is to show them what’s possible.”