The Courtney Partridge-McLennan Memorial Fund

Courtney, 19, lost her life to an asthma attack triggered by bushfire smoke

Courtney Partridge-McLennan was a bubbly and cheeky 19-year-old country girl living in regional NSW. She loved showing cattle and was passionate about youth development. She had mild asthma, but her family never thought something that’d become such a normal part of their lives would be the thing that would take her away from them.

On the night of November 29th during the catastrophic Black Summer Bushfires of 2019-2020, Courtney was visiting her family in Glenn Innes. The Glenn Innes community had been shrouded in bushfire smoke for months on end. High concentrations of small particulate matter from bushfire smoke hung in the air, known to be particularly dangerous to people with asthma.

She went to bed, feeling healthy and well. That night as Courtney slept, the smoke triggered a sudden and aggressive asthma attack, taking Courtney’s life in the early hours. She died alone, in her bed, with no one beside her.

Courtney’s fund serves to honour Courtney while reminding Australians of the devastating health impacts and lives lost from the 2019-2020 Black Summer Bushfire smoke, and the need for people with asthma to be placed in the forefront of protective strategies.

Please donate in memory of Courtney to help improve the way air quality is managed, responded to and understood in Australia to help save lives that might be lost, like Courtney’s. This work is based on the 10 recommendations from our landmark Bushfire Smoke Impact Survey 2019/20.

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All donations over $2 are tax deductible.
[This appeal does not apply to WA or NT]