By Kyra Gillespie
Berwick-born cyclist Joel Hawkins was tragically hit and killed while on a training ride in Dromana in 2015.
Joel, who had already notched up a long list of cycling achievements, died after spending more than a week on life support at the Alfred hospital after being struck by a car.
A white ghost bike was placed in his memory near the corner of Marine Parade and Nepean Highway and now his former coach, Chris Savage, is taking the White Bike Foundation’s safety message to Canberra.
In honour of the 17-year-old, Chris Savage is riding a 1700km ride to Parliament House, marking 100km for every year of Joel’s short life.
Set to arrive in Canberra on Monday 26 March, Savage will tackle some of the spectacular mountain passes that Hawkins trained and raced on, visiting communities impacted by road casualties along the way.
Joel’s parents Liza and Les, who were long-time ROC netball and football players before moving to the Peninsula, say they are touched by the support of the wider community.
“It has been amazing to see the way the Peninsula community has rallied around what we are trying to do,” Joel’s mother Liza Hawkins said.
“We want the message to spread far and wide, because we believe that everybody has the right to use the road safely and complete every journey.”
During the 12 months ending January 2018, there were 1,234 road casualties in Australia, according to The Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE).
“It only takes a second for a road-user to double check they are making the safest decision for everybody – life is such a vulnerable thing and the impact of a road casualty is absolutely devastating to all communities involved,” Leslie Hawkins, Joel’s father said.
“Joel was respected by everybody who met him because he was such a loving person with a wonderful ethos and tenacious approach to life – on and off the bike.”
Savage said the 1700 kilometre ride would “mark Joel’s 17 years with us”.
“It will hurt, but nothing will come close to the emotional pain inflicted when a person is taken from us in a road casualty. We want all road-sharers to take one extra second before acting on a decision – to make sure it is the safest option.”
