Motions

London Bridge Attack

Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. S. G. Wade:

That this council—

1. Acknowledges the selfless display of courage and compassion of Kirsty Boden who rushed to the aid of victims injured in the terrorist attack at London Bridge on 3 June 2017;

2. Mourns the tragic loss of the eight innocent individuals killed in the attack, including two Australians (Ms Kirsty Boden and Ms Sara Zelenak);

3. Condemns the actions of the three terrorists who drove their van along London Bridge and into pedestrians before attacking people in the Borough Market area;

4. Acknowledges the Kirsty Boden Memorial Nursing Scholarship for regional students at Flinders University, funded by the state government;

5. Acknowledges that Ms Boden has been recognised with a posthumous Queen's Commendation for Bravery; and

6. Pays tribute to South Australia's nurses who serve selflessly both nationally and internationally.

(Continued from 25 July 2018.)

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (17:48): I rise on behalf of the opposition to indicate our support for the motion. Every day our nurses serve the community with distinction. Every South Australian owes a huge debt of gratitude to the nurses who keep our hospitals, our health system and our families running.

Kirsty Boden was a phenomenal nurse and a phenomenal South Australian. A former Immanuel College student, a graduate of nursing at Flinders University, and a born and bred South Australian, she moved to London to take up a senior nursing position at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital. Kirsty's career was promising and her work was vital. In the words of her boyfriend James Hodder, 'Helping people was what she loved to do in her job as a nurse and in her daily life.'

This, of course, only makes the reason we are even discussing this motion even more tragic. Kirsty was enjoying a Saturday night out in one of the most beautiful and lively cities in the world and, like everyone else, she deserved to enjoy a night out. Yet Kirsty found herself a victim of the London Bridge terror attack on 3 June last year, an event which shocked the world and made a deep impact on the South Australian community.

At London's Borough Market, terrorists drove a van into a crowd of pedestrians and later stabbed other innocent passers-by. Eight people were killed in that awful attack, and 48 more were injured. No-one could have been blamed for running for their life or freezing in terror in the face of these atrocities—it is just a natural human reaction. But Kirsty Boden was a nurse through and through. She sprang into action, running to help those injured on London Bridge.

Her heroism saw Kirsty herself killed. Her selflessness saw South Australia lose a treasured daughter. The thoughts of this council are with Kirsty's family, her friends, her colleagues and all those who knew her throughout her short but vibrant life. Not only will the records of this parliament now forever remember Kirsty but the world undoubtedly will as well. She is remembered as 'the Angel of London Bridge', a selfless hero who did all she could to help others in danger.

In July this year, Kirsty was posthumously awarded a Queen's Commendation for Bravery for her selflessness that night. At home, the Remembering Kirsty charity supports young country athletes to attend national and state championships, a tribute to Kirsty who was a former swimming captain of her school. Her alma mater, Flinders University, remembers her through the Kirsty Boden Memorial Nursing Scholarship for two third-year nursing students every year.

Kirsty Boden's legacy lives on in so many ways. I hope that in what still must be unimaginable sorrow, those who loved Kirsty take some comfort in knowing that she will be remembered. I would also like to take this opportunity to note the tragic passing of another Australian, Sara Zelenak of Brisbane, on that awful night in London.

Our state and our nation suffered deeply on the night of 3 June 2017. It is fitting that we take the time to reflect on that. With those few words, I commend the motion to the council and pass on my condolences to the many that Kirsty Boden left behind.