What junior rugby player Taonashe Chivhaku lacked in size, he made up for in hard work, commitment and loyalty.
That is how the 16-year-old is being remembered after he was swept away while he and two of his teammates were swimming in the Macquarie River at Dubbo, in western NSW, on Monday afternoon.
Taonashe, also known as Latroy, was a member of the Dubbo Junior Rugby Club for two years and an integral part of the undefeated under-16 Blues premiership team.
"He was only small in stature ... but he had a very good attitude, he always tried his best and was well-liked by everyone," club president and premiership coach Adam Willner told AAP on Thursday.
"He just had that nature of being happy-go-lucky, happy to be with the boys, enjoying footy and being with his mates."
The rugby club and the migrant community have banded together to share Latroy's story and raise more than $40,000 for his family through a GoFundMe page.
"It speaks volumes of the culture, the camaraderie and the mateship that goes with a footy club," Mr Willner said.
The two 16-year-old teammates swimming with Latroy when the group was swept downstream have been provided with counselling.
The team and other community members were set to attend a candlelight vigil at the river on Thursday night, while Latroy's family planned to display his premiership jersey at his funeral.
Mayor Josh Black said the teenager's death was an "incredibly sad situation".
Dubbo MLC Stephen Lawrence also offered condolences to Latroy's family and friends.
"Taken far too young by cruel fate," Mr Lawrence wrote online.
The teenager's body was found in the river on Tuesday afternoon after a large-scale search.
Emergency services were called to Sandy Beach, a popular swimming spot on the river, about 5.50pm on Monday after Latroy disappeared.
"They were swimming in the river and they've been swept away by the current," NSW Police Acting Inspector Scott Heckendorf told reporters at Sandy Beach on Tuesday.
"One of the males had failed to resurface."
The water was moving quickly when Latroy disappeared, Acting Insp Heckendorf said.
"The river is unpredictable and the currents are changing all the time.
"The river was flowing quite fast and it's quite deep out there."
Community members joined the search, which involved police divers and crews from the NSW State Emergency Service and the Volunteer Rescue Association.
The teenager's death is one of many summer drownings.
A third of all drownings occurred in inland waterways in 2024, including 80 deaths in rivers, according to Royal Life Saving Australia's national report.
"Isolated natural aquatic environments, such as rivers and creeks, increase the risk of drowning due to changeable conditions and often geographical remoteness," the organisation's research said.
