Rosie Batty hears it constantly.
“If I was her, I would never have let that happen.”
“If I was her, I would have done things differently.”
“If I was her, I would have stopped it.”
In February 2014, Rosie Batty’s world was uprooted when her only son Luke was murdered at cricket practice by his father in an incomprehensible act of family violence.
This inspirational woman joined Mamamia founder Mia Freedman for a searingly honest chat on the podcast, No Filter. She talks about the exhaustion, the hope, the painful realisations of her journey and the reason she feels like she’s no longer a mum.
Rosie Batty has single-handedly changed the conversation around domestic violence in Australia. But even now, as Australian Of The Year, as a she’s still surprised how people’s attitudes towards family violence, and how the propensity to victim blame still continues.
The interview courses her darkest moments and the wisdom she’s gleaned from such a tragic circumstance.
“Life is a journey. You have choices. I don’t always respond as well as I would like, but I seek to. If I have time for reflection, I try and work out how I can do things better next time.”
You go through the hardcore of the grieving process and everyone is tightly there with you. People are there with you. But then people have to get on with their lives…and for me there is a sense of feeling abandoned.”
“People tell me all the time they’re thinking of me,” she says. “But when they stop ringing me, when they stopped texting me, when they stopped inviting me around, I did feel let down. But then I’ve learned that they watch me from afar. They admire me, support me, think of me and they will never forget Luke.”
“Their journey continues. And similarly, mine will too.”
Rosie says she’s thinking about planning a holiday. Or a trip. And trying to enjoy the little things.
“I’m not chain smoking anymore…I’m not drinking a bottle of wine – a day – anymore… I’m not on sleeping tablets – so I reckon I am doing okay.”
Listen to the full interview on itunes here
Listen to the full interview on Soundcloud here.
Top Comments
WOW what an amazing woman ..... Rosie your strength, courage and words are an inspiration to me ...... i lost my 16 year old son last year and so understand the heart wrenching pain, no parent should ever have to take this journey. Keep doing what your doing, i am sure Luke would be so proud of his mum ☺ xo 💜
Rosie is an absolute inspiration. Thank you Rosie for bringing the discussion of domestic violence to the forefront. I am sorry it has been on the back of the loss of your son. I am sorry it takes the death of so many other women and children to get everyone talking about these crimes. For crimes are what all domestic violence is, not just the extreme physical injuries and deaths but the attitudes within in which they occur.
There is one point I disagree with Rosie on and that is her insistence that Luke was loved by his father. Whatever he felt for Luke, it WAS NOT love. It may have been ownership; it may have been transference, but it was not love. Love does not look like that. The truth I suspect is that Luke's father like so many other abusers was a sociopath, psychopath or narcissist. They are incapable of love.