Bondi Junction victim was a junior basketball and netball star selected to bear Olympic torch
By Gemma Grant
As one of Echuca’s most accomplished junior sports stars, Ashlee Good was selected to bear the Olympic torch as it made its way in a relay around Australia before the Sydney 2000 Games.
A smiling photo of Good, who was one of the six people killed in Saturday’s Bondi Junction attack, was published in the Riverine Herald in May 2000 to celebrate her selection. The accompanying article detailed her hopes of pursuing a professional basketball career.
Ashlee Good as a member of the Hume City Broncos 2004 women’s team.Credit: Facebook
Before reaching adulthood, Good was already a star in Victoria’s Echuca-Moama community.
The Goulburn Valley Grammar School student had proved herself to be a talented basketball and netball player, finding success in both sports at a state level as a junior.
In that 2000 article, she pointed to Australian Opals player Lauren Jackson as an inspiration and said she hoped to watch her play in the Olympics later that year.
Earlier in the year, she had been selected for the All Australian under-16 netball side following a strong performance at the national championships.
By 18, she was captaining the Victorian Country Basketball side. The team’s coach, Jenni Watson, praised Good in the Riverine Herald in 2002.
“She’s the hardest-working player to ever come out of Echuca … she’s got where she is purely through hard work, dedication and sacrifice,” Watson said at the time.
As a senior student, Good attended Genazzano FCJ College in Melbourne’s east as a boarder, graduating in 2003.
The Riverine Herald article from May 5, 2000, about Good.
On Saturday, Good, 38, handed her injured baby to bystanders at Westfield Bondi Junction. She later succumbed to the knife wounds she herself had received in the rampage at the shopping centre.
Her death brought tributes from those in regional Victoria who remembered her time as a budding sports star.
“The Echuca Moama Basketball Assoc extends their sympathy and love to Ash Good’s family in this absolutely devastating time,” her junior basketball club posted on Facebook.
“Ash grew up in Echuca and was a very talented basketball player. She played her Juniors all with Echuca. She was a caring, loyal and adoring friend to many. Rest in Peace Ash.”
Good’s family released this photo of her on Sunday.
The Broadmeadows Basketball Association also offered its condolences to Good’s family and friends, and posted a photo of her when she played for the Hume City Broncos 2004 women’s team.
Genazzano posted a tribute to her on Monday.
“We express our deepest condolences to her family. May they find solace in cherished memories and draw strength from Ashlee’s spirit of courage,” the statement said.
Good (third from left, centre row) playing for the Victorian Country U18s team at the Australian championships in Canberra in 2001.Credit: Facebook
The Melbourne Tigers NBL1 club also paid tribute.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Ashlee Good, a cherished member of our Melbourne Tigers family. From her earliest days on the court as a junior, Ashlee’s talent and tenacity shone brightly,” the club said on Facebook.
As an adult, Good competed in triathlons.
Close friend Lara Good posting several pictures of them together on Facebook.
“My beautiful soul sister, I’m in total disbelief. The many laughs shared, triathlons conquered, bush runs, beach baking, happy times living and working together. We certainly shared the love of sunshine and smiles and a “GOOD” life!!” Lara Good wrote.
“You were the most stunning girl inside and out. Your smile lit up any room. My heart breaks, all my prayers go out to [Ashlee Good’s baby] for a strong recovery. Big love. RIP my beautiful Ash Good. Taken too soon but never ever forgotten.”
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