A woman has recalled her heartwarming encounter with millionaire teen fisherman Keegan Payne amid a controversial on-air saga with Sky News presenter Peter Stefanovic.
Artist Sarrita King, from Darwin, recounted to her online followers when the teenager and his friends helped her and her family after they had crashed their car and became stranded.
“These kids came and actually towed us back to safety,” she said on a TikTok clip.
“So it was an hour out of their time, they unhooked a buggy, they were on their way to go fishing for the Million Dollar Barra, and they were absolutely amazing.
“They restored both my partner and I’s faith in kids these days.”
The mum said the group made her and her family feel “really safe”.
“For a terrible situation – the car was wrecked – they were the best,” she said.
“At the time we were like ‘I hope these guys have the best life’, they have so much going for them.”
Ms King went on to express her surprise that one of the teens who had helped went on to win the life-changing prize.
“We have just been over the moon for him ever since,” she said.
“And we just can’t stop smiling and thinking about it. So congratulations. Good karma.”
The mum’s followers shared in her overwhelming support for the teenager and labelled the artist’s clip a “beautiful story”.
“Darwin kids have a heart of gold,” one wrote.
“His story just gets better and better, I think he’s going to be a full-on Aussie icon,” another added.
Ms King also told NT News that Mr Payne came across as a “wonderful young man”.
“He was kind, he spoke proudly about being from Katherine – where I’m from too, so we spoke about that.
“He spoke about his family and his love of fishing. It was just what you want your own kid to be like that at that age.
“The way he’s handled himself through everything, he’s going to be someone in the future with all the pressure and all the scrutiny, he’s got his head screwed on.”
Sky News interview
Viewers were left dumbfounded when Mr Payne went on Sky News to share his happiness about his win, only to be awkwardly quizzed about an unrelated incident by host Peter Stefanovic.
Stefanovic asked if it was true that Mr Payne had stolen a quad bike and off-road vehicle from his former employer Bob Cavanagh.
He responded that it was true and apologised to his ex-boss, added he and his friends were young and “weren’t thinking at the time”.
Viewers were furious and many demanded Stefanovic resign, and he and Sky News Australia have since issued an apology.
Cavanagh, who has left the Northern Territory for Queensland, has said that Mr Payne deserved the apology and he has no ill will towards his former employee.
“He’s a good kid who made a mistake,” Cavanagh told Daily Mail Australia.
“What was meant to be a celebratory moment was stolen from him. I’m glad he [Stefanovic] apologised to Keegan, he deserved that apology.”
Cavanagh said he believes Stefanovic has learnt a lesson.
“We all make mistakes and I bet he regrets it,’ he said. ‘The fact that he’s come out and apologised to Keegan and his family, I think he’s realised he’s overstepped the mark.”
He said Mr Payne was just 15 at the time, and apologised for what he, along with two others, did to his property.
Mr Payne and his friend worked on weekends to repay their boss for the damage, however after two weekends a lull in business forced a change in plan.
“We had some quite big contracts that we needed to look after and I asked him, how are we going to do that now?”
He said it was all about “showing the consequences” for their actions. Ultimately, Mr Payne ended up working a different job.
“He ended up being like a janitor at an aged-care home. I saw him eight to 12 months later and he still couldn’t look at me, he was just so ashamed of what he’d done.”
After his big win, he offered to pay back the stolen vehicles.
“Out of the blue this morning, his father rang me and said, ‘Keegan wants to repay you’, and you could have knocked me down with a feather,” Cavanagh said.
“He said Keegan has always felt so terrible for what he did.”
Sky News has since issued an apology to Mr Payne.
“On Wednesday 1 May 2024, Sky News Australia broadcast a live interview of Keegan Payne by Peter Stefanovic on First Edition. The interview concerned Mr Payne’s win in the Northern Territory’s Million Dollar Fish Competition,” the broadcaster’s statement read.
During the interview Mr Stefanovic asked Mr Payne questions about claims he had been involved in the theft of a Polaris Ranger and Polaris Quad from his former employer in 2021.
“Mr Payne confirmed the claims and apologised to his former employer on-air. Mr Payne’s former employer subsequently told Sky News Australia that he did not proceed with police charges and had accepted Mr Payne’s apology.
“Sky News Australia and Peter Stefanovic apologise to Mr Payne and his family for raising these claims during the live interview about his million dollar win in the fishing competition. Mr Stefanovic has reached out to Mr Payne and his family directly to convey his apology.”
Originally published as ‘Good karma’: Heartwarming twist in teen’s $1 million fish catch