Pride of Australia nominee is teenager who helped five people out of trouble on the water while on holiday

SAVING a life is one thing — but saving five in five days when you’re only 13 is something else entirely.

Pride of Australia nominee is Sydney nipper Nick Taranto, 13, who saved the lives of 5 people in 5 days, including his 8yo sister Alannah.

SAVING a life is one thing — but saving five in five days when you’re only 13 is something else entirely.

And it’s enough for Randwick teen Nick Taranto to be nominated for the Child of Courage Medal in this year’s Pride of Australia awards.

Now 14, the Clovelly Nipper was on a holiday on the Shoalhaven River in January when his adventures began.

Sydney nipper Nick Taranto, 13, stepped up to save sister Alannah when she got into dramas in the water on a family holiday.

“The first rescue was my eight-year-old sister Alannah,” he said. “She was going down the rapids and my mum yelled from the bank of the river for me to dive in with her to grab Alannah. (She) was starting to go under when I got to her.’’

Nick Taranto is a Pride of Australia nominee.

A few days later, a boy jumped off a blow-up boat and tried to swim to his mum, but got dragged under the rapids.

“I jumped in grabbed the boy and pulled him into safety but the mother panicked and went to grab her son, but failed, so I pulled the boy to shore and then grabbed the mother and pulled her in,” Nick said. Two other rescues rounded out his busy holiday.

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“I didn’t really think about it but afterwards I was really tired,” the Year 8 student said. “It’s pretty cool to know I saved them.

“To help these people was just natural - I knew that I could help them so I did.

“Should it happen again, I would do the same - without question.

“I can’t even think about me being a hero - I’m just so glad that I have my sister here.

“I wouldn’t change a thing.”