Final farewell for the Angel of London Bridge, Kirsty Boden

Kirsty Boden, hailed as the ‘Angel of London Bridge’, has been remembered as a brave young Australian.

Friends of Kirsty Boden act as pallbearers at her funeral in Loxton yesterday.

Kirsty Boden, hailed by British media as the “Angel of London Bridge”, has been remembered as a brave, adventurous and kind young Australian who lived a beautiful life before it was cut short by terrorists.

Kirsty’ British partner James Hodder touches the coffin as he says goodbye.

Ms Boden’s parents, Tina and Ken, brother Chris and British partner James Hodder joined more than 400 mourners at the Loxton Swimming Pool in South Australia’s Riverland yesterday to say goodbye to the 28-year-old, who died as she went to the aid of others caught in the terror attack.

Mr Hodder spoke of Kirsty’s lifelong bravery and the “beautiful life” they shared over four years in London.

“Kirsty was so brave. I don’t just mean what she did that night, we all know she was a hero that night. I mean all her life,” he said. “She was brave when she left her family to go to boarding school when she won a scholarship; she was brave when she moved to London, arriving with just a suitcase and a smile.

“She was brave when she couldn’t get her UK nursing registration but pushed on anyway to not just get her registration but eventually getting promoted at one of London’s most prestigious hospitals.”

Boden’s mother, Tina, leads hundreds of mourners on a funeral march.

Floral tributes to Ms Boden were placed alongside the pool in her home town of Loxton, where she was a regular in her youth as a talented swimmer who went on to set records when she moved to Adelaide to complete her schooling. Her white coffin was placed alongside the pool.

Mr Hodder told mourners the couple lived in probably London’s smallest flat, where they were joined by a stray cat they called Simon. “We had a beautiful life there and I’m so thankful for the years we shared. I will treasure those memories forever,” he said.

Her father Ken said Kirsty had a “gentle way of pushing you out of your comfort zone”. “She loved her life, she loved her James and she loved her stray cat,” he said. “Kirsty, we will love you forever.”

Kirsty with partner James, who spoke at the funeral.

Eight people were murdered and 48 injured in the attack on June 3 when three Islamists drove a van into pedestrians on London Bridge before stabbing people in Borough Market.

A London coroner said Ms Boden was stabbed in the chest after she ran towards danger to help victims of the attack. She had been in London working at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital.

Former swimming coach Terry Millar said she was loved and respected by everyone she met.

“If there was a perfect kid, she was it,” he said.

Reflecting her broad community involvement in Australia, the service included tributes from Immanuel College, Loxton, Sydney’s Prince of Wales Hospital and Tamarama Surf Life Saving Club in Sydney, where Ms Boden was a member. Six friends, dressed in bright floral dresses, pushed Ms Boden’s white coffin around Loxton pool before the burial at the local cemetery.

Additional reporting: AAP