Cardigan crash: a young life cut tragically short

THOMAS Walton was a young man "born with a smile on his face".The 20-year-old's life was as good as it gets. He loved his job, was playing good hockey and looking forward to turning 21 in November. But his life was cut short on Sunday morning when he was killed after his car hit a tree at Cardigan.Speaking to The Courier yesterday, Greg and Sue Walton said their only son was an avid sportsman with a passion for playing hockey, riding motorbikes, surfing and watching the Ballarat Miners. They described him as an easygoing person who loved life."He was very gentle and easygoing ... born with a smile on his face," Sue said.Thomas, known by family and friends as Tom, started playing hockey in 2001 with the White Devils where he won the under-15 championship and quickly established himself as a prominent player on the field. His highlights included making the Ballarat state league team at 13 years old, captaining the Victorian Hockey VicStix Squad in 2005, being the leading goal scorer in the WestVic under-17 competition in 2005-06 and becoming the only WestVic Hockey club player to play 50 games.Thomas was part of the WestVic Hockey men's winning team in the state league five in 2008, state league four in 2009 and state league three in two consecutive years. He represented his secondary school, Ballarat High School, in the senior team from years 7 to 12.Greg and Sue bought Thomas his first dirtbike in 2002, the same year he became a member of the Rovers. In 2003, he competed in the Australian Motocross Championships at Mount Bolton where he placed third in the Senior Lite C-Grade."He was so skilled at looking after them (motorbikes) stripping them down and putting them back together," Sue said.Outside sport, Thomas attended his first National Christian Youth Convention in Tasmania when he was eight years old. He went to three more conventions in Melbourne in 1999, Queensland in 2001 and Adelaide in 2003.The Waltons said Thomas and his sister Gemma, 24, had a very close relationship, with Gemma mothering him the day he arrived home from hospital.Greg said the highlight of every year for Thomas was the family's yearly trip at Christmas time to Warrnambool and Port Fairy.Thomas also had an affinity with animals and liked to work on the family farm at Weatherboard and in the shearing shed. Greg said everything had recently fallen into place for Thomas who was working as a second-year painting and decorating apprentice."He was loving that. His life had turned around. He had a good job, was playing good hockey, the team was playing well, he was looking forward to his 21st," Greg said."He wanted to finish his apprenticeship as a painter and set up his own business. He was looking forward to buying a house in Ballarat."