The young man who became an instant millionaire - and an overnight household name across the country - has been hailed "a good kid", "hero" and a "wonderful, kind" young man, despite his troubled past.
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Keegan Payne, who won the Million Dollar Fish competition with a barra caught in the Katherine River, admitted to having stolen a buggy and a quad bike of his former employer three years ago in a moment when he and his mates "weren't thinking".
But the owner of the vehicles, Bob Cavanagh, who had hired the young man at his Katherine mowing business, didn't hold any harsh feelings against the now 19-year-old, calling him a "good kid" who deserved winning the million dollars.
After winning the prestigious fishing competition, Keegan publicly apologised and promised to pay back Mr Cavanagh.
Meanwhile, a young mother from Katherine has spoken out about the young man after he was scrutinised over the theft, saying Mr Payne and his friends went "out of their way" to help her when she and her family were stranded on the side of the highway after writing off her car when she hit a number of buffaloes in October last year.
"These young lads stopped ... and started to help immediately," Sarrita King said.
"They were going to Dundee for the weekend so we ...interrupted their plans.
"They were proper heroes.
"(Mr Payne" was kind, he spoke proudly about being from Katherine, where I'm from too."
