British barman in Australia hailed a 'hero' after saving Irish swimmer Mr Brearley, who has been in Australia for four months, dragged the man to safety and then tried to rescue the man's friend. "I've heard the best thing to do is drag them out backwards," he said. So I put my arm over his shoulder as if I was grabbing him from behind and dragged him out backwards. He was panicking and in shock, and he swallowed a lot of water so I was trying to keep him calm and get him to the edge as fast as possible. The men entered the water near Federation Square, a popular entertainment precinct in Melbourne's city centre. Mr Brearley, who works as a waiter at the Riverland Bar, said the man he rescued had been at the bar earlier in the night and did not appear drunk. The two men had reportedly jumped in as a prank and were both wearing jeans. As Mr Brearley dragged the man to safety, the man said his friend was still in the river and was "under the water." "By the time I got to the edge, someone asked me if there was anyone else in the water," Mr Brearly said. I said 'yeah - his friend is still in there'. And a few other guys jumped in and tried to help him, but obviously weren't successful. The rescued man was taken to hospital suffering hypothermia. A paramedic, Susie Dean, praised Mr Brearley's bravery, saying he would be nominated for a one of the state's community hero awards. "There was a very strong current in the Yarra tonight," she said. It's dark, cold and he has been able to avert catastrophe for one of the people who was in the river. The waiter has been absolutely heroic in what he's done tonight to jump into the river. At least two other people who jumped in the river to try to rescue the men also had to be rescued. The river has been the scene of several apparent drownings involving tourists. In 2008, the body of a 28-year-old Irish tourist, Stephen King, was recovered, reportedly after a night out nearby. Last August, police recovered the body of a Korean tourist who tried to swim across the river near Federation Square while celebrating his 24th birthday. Senior Sergeant John Fitzpatrick said the stunt last night was extremely dangerous. "Swimming across the river at night when you're dressed in inappropriate clothing like jeans is really a recipe for disaster," he said.