On this day last year, tragedy struck Victoria as 11-year-old Luke Batty was murdered at the hands of his father, at a cricket oval in the small town of Tyabb.
One year on, Luke’s mother Rosie has made the most admirable progress and resilience in light of an unspeakable tragedy, made evident by her appointment as Australian of the Year last month.
Today, Rosie Batty has penned a heart wrenching letter to her son on the anniversary of his death, describing the small details of the day before he died—”It was such a hot day and you headed off to school excited to be in Grade 6,” and “You didn’t want to go to cricket practice that night. You were too busy playing on your PS3 and feeling too lazy. But I did what a good mum does and made you follow through with your commitment to your cricket team”—making for a harrowing ode to her son.
As Australian of the Year, Rosie Batty has already launched a National Domestic Violence Order Scheme in partnership with the government. The scheme has set the tone for Batty’s Australian of the year duties for 2015: pushing domestic violence to the forefront of national agenda.
Our thoughts are with Rosie Batty and her family today. Read her letter to Luke Batty below.
Domestic violence is never acceptable. If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, calls can be made 24 hours a day on 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) to the National Sexual Assault, Family & Domestic Violence Counselling Line, or to Lifeline on 131 114. Donations can be made to The White Ribbon foundation here.
Lead image by Stefan Postles via Getty.
