Surfer's grieving girls - ‘HE'D WANT US TO HAVE A BEAUTIFUL LIFE'

Doting mum Courtney intends to fulfill all the dreams the couple had for little Lenni

- Kasia Jillings

Top surfer Jamie Civil and his beloved partner Courtney Morgan were always on adventures, but by far the greatest was raising their six-month-old daughter Lenni together.

Devastatingly, their time was cut short when Jamie passed away in a freak accident while surfing at Dunedin’s Aramoana Beach on March 26 this year. Courtney is grappling with losing the love of her life, but is grateful for every moment they shared and determined his memeory will live on for their daughter.

“We knew how good our love was and I told him every day how much I loved and appreciated him,” says the 34-year-old. “We did and achieved so much together, but it was too short.”

Courtney recalls the first night they met in August 2020, when one beer turned into staying up all night chatting until 5am. “We both knew when we met, that was it,” she says.

It was less than a month before Jamie, 35, proclaimed his love for Courtney and while he’d previously decided he didn’t want children, early in their relationship he changed his mind. Courtney gave birth to Lenni on October 3, 2021, with Jamie by her side.

“Everyone was shocked when they saw him with her because he was so smitten. She was his whole world,” says South Island chef Courtney.