A ROADSIDE memorial to a young rower whose life was cut short in December bears the medals that he could have won if he was still alive.
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Clubmate and under-23 Australian rower Oliver Cook, of Legana, rowed in the races that Trevallyn's Lewis Hendey, 21, would have entered at the Australian Rowing Championships in March, and gifted his resulting medals to the site in his friend's honour.
But perhaps the most poignant is a gold medal from the senior men's club eights state championship in February.
Cook said the crew was neck-and-neck with their nearest competitor for the title.
``Then someone shouted out `Do it for Lewy', and we did,'' he said.
At the national championships, Cook, 18, won gold in the under-23 lightweight double _ going one better for his mate Hendey, who won silver in the event last year.
Cook also won bronze in the senior lightweight fours and silver in the single lightweight scull.
``In the singles, [Hendey] was definitely the thought in my mind,'' he said.
Hendey was hit by a car and killed while cycling along the West Tamar Highway, four days after Christmas last year.
Cook said he had placed the medals at the memorial ``a couple of weeks ago'' for his friend.
``They're all the ones he would've won,'' he said.
``I figured it was the idea that counted.''
Tamar Rowing Club coach and TIS emerging talent squad Northern manager Ron Woods said Hendey had been a committed rower with huge potential.
``He certainly had a great future in rowing,'' Woods said.