Bondi stabbings: Grief for a little girl without her mum Ashlee Good

First-time mum Ashlee Good has been remembered as a beloved friend, talented athlete and person of courage, as the condition of her baby girl Harriet improves from critical to serious but stable.

Bondi Junction Westfield stabbing victim Ashlee Good.

First-time mum and osteopath Ashlee Good has been remembered for her “zest for life”, as the pain that her nine-month-old baby girl will grow up without her mother sets in for her loved ones.

Those who have crossed paths with Ms Good have painted a picture of a beloved friend, talented athlete and a person of courage after the 38-year-old died at Sydney’s St Vincent’s Hospital on the night she and five others were stabbed to death at a Bondi Junction shopping centre.

Her final act was to thrust her little Harriet, also stabbed and who’s condition has improved from critical to serious but stable, into the arms of strangers.

North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson fought back tears on the field before his team’s Sunday afternoon match against Geelong.

As the daughter of former player Kerry Good, Ms Good’s death has sent shockwaves through the sporting and North Melbourne community.

“It’s just so sad,” Clarkson told Fox Footy. “Her beautiful little girl Harriet … she’s not going to have a mum. It breaks our hearts, but it breaks our hearts even more as ­humanity.”

Ash Good in a social media post with her baby Harriet Flanagan.

The coach said the “same excuse” of drugs and alcohol would be made in the aftermath of the ­attack.

“We’ve got to do something about it, there’s got to be a time where it just stops,” he said.

News of Ms Good’s death has also rocked her alma mater in Melbourne and her hometown in northern Victoria.

Genazzano, a Catholic school in Kew where Ms Good graduated, offered condolences to her family on Monday.

“May they find solace in cherished memories and draw strength from Ashlee’s spirit of courage,” the school said in a statement.

“Ashlee graduated in 2003 and is fondly remembered as a bright, talented, boarding student with a deep passion for sports, particularly basketball. Her zest for life was truly inspiring.”

St Joseph’s College also expressed shock and sadness over the loss of its former student.

“Ash is a former student of St Joseph’s College Echuca and was highly respected and admired by her friends, peers and staff members,” the college said on Monday. “The impact of this unthinkable tragedy has touched so many, and will continue to be deeply felt throughout our community.”

Ms Good also lent her skills as an osteopath to those in need, with charity Aussie Action Abroad sharing that she was part of its health team in Nepal in 2008-09.

“Ash became a leading and ­vibrant health worker supporting many elite athletes, mums and ­followers of her healthy lifestyle posts,” the non-profit said.

The loss of life of six innocent victims at the hands of knife-wielding killer Joel Cauchi has rocked the whole country – with South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas revealing the tragedy had “hit home” as he disclosed Ashlee’s partner, Daniel, and his family are from his state.

“I went to school with Dan and (his brother) … they were a couple of years below me. I coached them in cricket, I know their parents, and it is incomprehensible that such a beautiful family has been so aggressively affected,” Mr Malinauskas said in a press conference.

“This is every family’s worst nightmare, right now it’s the country’s worst nightmare.”