Dad of 3 dies in accident
The victim of a freak kitesurfing incident was a husband, fatherof-three and a ‘‘stunning’’ son, his mother says.
Logan Gemming died after a gust of wind sent him crashing into a sign at Fergusson Park in Tauranga on Sunday.
He had been a caring and adventurous PE teacher at Tauranga Boys’ College, his mother Gill Gemming told Stuff.
‘‘[Kitesurfing] was something he loved doing,’’ Gill said.
‘‘That is something you can’t take away from [him] – to have adventure.’’ But he was always painstakingly careful.
‘‘That’s one of the things that is totally devastating. Everyone who knew him said how safety conscious and how careful he was with risk.’’
Logan’s death would be heartbreaking for the boys he taught, Wayne Gribble, a friend of 20 years, said.
‘‘Logan had a genuine belief in young people and the place that education has in the wellbeing of young men,’’
Gribble said. ‘‘So he devoted his career to seeing boys turn into fine young men.’’
He was also hugely involved in the hockey community and had once played at a high level himself.
Together, Logan and his wife Kylie – also a teacher – made an admirable team, Gribble said.
‘‘Kylie and the three boys had the most incredible husband and father. And today they wake with a new reality. So they are absolutely devastated.’’
Logan was also the kind of guy you felt safe with in the outdoors, Gribble said.
‘‘He’d be the guy you would trust and have confidence that every element of safety had been attended to.
‘‘And I guess that’s what makes this tragedy all the more difficult to rationalise.
‘‘The picture in my mind is a beautiful smile of a young man who had the most amazing heart.
‘‘That is what our community is losing, one of those great people.’’
Logan’s wife Kylie said their ‘‘lives have changed forever’’, in a Facebook post on Monday.
‘‘It is with the heaviest of hearts that I write to inform you of the tragic death of my lovely husband,’’ she said in the post.
‘‘We are grateful for the support we have already received.
‘‘Loges you will be missed. All our love, your three beautiful boys and their momma bear.’’
Hundreds of people were enjoying the sun at Fergusson Park when the incident occurred.
A witness told SunLive that the man, later confirmed as Logan, had crashed into the park’s entrance sign.
‘‘He was launching and got picked up by the wind and slammed into the blue sign at the entrance near the gate to Fergusson Park,’’ the person said.
Emergency Services provided medical assistance, to no avail.
Another bystander said there had been about 30 kitesurfers on the water at the time, but everybody packed up to leave after the incident.
Logan’s death has been referred to a coroner.