Rosie Batty's new book reveals the heartache of losing her son Luke.

By Simon Leo Brown.

Rosie Batty has revealed intimate details of her life before and after the death of her son in a new book, A Mother’s Story.

Ms Batty, who was named Australian of the Year for her work campaigning against domestic violence, co-wrote the book with author and journalist Bryce Corbett.

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Her 11-year-old son Luke was killed by his father, Greg Anderson, at an oval in Tyabb, south-east of Melbourne, in February 2014.

Speaking to 774 ABC Melbourne‘s Rafael Epstein, Ms Batty said the publisher approached her about writing the book only a few months after Luke died.

"I received a letter, and I really did not know how to feel about that, so I put the letter to one side," she said.

Ms Batty eventually decided the opportunity to share her story was something that she should pursue.

But she said she did not want the book to be indulgent.

"It needed to be something that has a purpose and could make a difference," Ms Batty said.

The book, launched on Monday night in Melbourne, reveals Ms Batty's heartbreak on the day Luke was killed.

"I can clearly remember thinking I'm like Darcy Freeman's mum — the little girl that got thrown off the West Gate Bridge; I'm like the Farquharson boys' mum — who were drowned by their father in the lake," she said.

"I have joined a club, a club that nobody ever wants to join.

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"How on Earth, when you become one of these tragedies — these worse-case scenario tragedies — how do you live with murder?"

Ms Batty said her work raising awareness of family violence since Luke's death had given her "new distractions, new purpose".

"I am not smoking a packet of cigarettes anymore a day ... I am not consuming a bottle of wine every day, like I did when Luke first died," she said.

The book has also revealed that when Ms Batty was a child her mother died, which, she said, was when she learned to suppress her emotions.

"I think that when my mum died people would have said to me, 'you've got to be brave'," she said.

But Ms Batty said her emotions can start to pour over even " something quite insignificant".

"Things build up within me ... it is like a release valve," she said.

Ms Batty said that with "the indulgence of hindsight" she knew right from the beginning that her relationship with Greg was not healthy.

"I think relationships, at the beginning, you are in a honeymoon phase, you do not want to see the warning signs," she said.

"You want to think it does not matter, or you can live with that, or you can change it."

After a break of some years, Ms Batty rekindled her relationship with Greg in her late 30s and soon fell pregnant with Luke.

"When Greg re-entered into my life I was lonely and isolated and going through quite a difficult time," she said.

"My career was not as satisfying for me anymore, my friends had got married and were having children.

"I was lonely and made an unhealthy relationship fit because I wanted a relationship, I wanted it to work."

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After falling pregnant, Ms Batty was concerned by Greg's behaviour, and "started to put boundaries in place".

"I kept hoping he might change, hoping he would recognise he had problems — and issues —and face them," she said.

"Slowly and surely as more things happen, you begin to lose that hope and you start to work out ways of how you can extricate yourself out of the relationship," she said.

Ms Batty and Greg's relationship deteriorated as he became more abusive, and they had been separated for some years by the time of Luke's murder.

Ms Batty said while the nation had been "awakened" by the issue of family violence, there was "still a way to go".

"I do definitely think there is increased awareness, I think there is an increased momentum, but our systems and processes are completely underfunded, completely overburdened," she said.

She said much work was needed to improve the "hideous" journey through the court system for women who have experienced domestic violence.

"One of the things that I really hope that I can influence is an improved response through our court processes," she said.

"We just need to keep governments accountable and keep the issue on the agenda."

This post originally appeared on the ABC and was republished here with full permission. 

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