Mother pays tribute to her 'very grown-up' son

Blake Fowlie, who suffered fatal injuries after he turned his trail bike into the path of a car. Photo / Supplied

Blake Fowlie begged his parents for a trail bike for years.

Heather and Stuart Fowlie resisted his pleas, but finally gave in last Christmas and bought the 11-year-old a red and white 100cc Honda - conditional on safety lessons and wearing a helmet.

Blake said it was "the best present he ever got".

But on Sunday February 21, riding home from the milking shed for lunch, he turned to go into the driveway of the Paeroa family's home and was struck by an oncoming car.

Mrs Fowlie had been driving slowly ahead.

"I honestly don't think he had much going through his head except that we were going home for lunch, he loved food," she told the Weekend Herald.

"He was by no means an unsensible kid ... he was a very grown-up 11 years."

A panic-stricken Mrs Fowlie went into auto-pilot and performed CPR on her only son, with Mr Fowlie soon at her side.

That night the parents, who have three daughters aged 20 months to 21 years, made the agonising decision to turn off his life support.

"I held him in my arms and they switched his life support off," Mrs Fowlie said.

This week she paid tribute to her "smiley, happy" son who did a lot in his 11 years and gave everything a go.

"Nothing bothered him. He would do anything for anybody," Mrs Fowlie said.

Blake spent a lot of time helping out on the farm and always looked out for his mum, she said.

"He would help me start milking while the second herd was coming in and would open and shut gates, round up the cows, carry things he thought were too heavy."

He would carry a 25kg bag of calf meal rather than have his mother lift it.

Mrs Fowlie said Blake was a dedicated student at Tirohia School and had a number of trophies and ribbons from showing calves.

The boy's passion for John Deere tractors was remembered at his funeral, the family using one to transport his coffin.