In an interview published in the April issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly, Rosie remembers the terrible night in February when a mundane sports training sessions turned to tragedy.
“I’d like to think that Luke had no idea what was coming and the blow to the back of the head either pretty much killed him or knocked him to the point where he had no idea what came next,” Rosie says, barely holding back tears. “He had a great experience beforehand. He was happy.”
Rosie and Luke Batty.
The most upsetting part, she says, is that she never got to hold her son, or even say goodbye.
“I wasn’t allowed to go near him because it was a crime scene,” she says. “And that’s when I did get a bit upset because I said, ‘That’s my little boy out there, all on his own’, and they said, ‘We’re taking care of him, Rosie, it’s okay’. That was my little boy out there. They said, ‘Rosie, I don’t think you’d want to see him.’ “
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Rosie’s memory of the past few weeks is hazy. Packing up Luke’s room was particularly painful.
“You’re supposed to look back at those things when they’re 21 or throughout their life and say, ‘This is what you were like when you were a little boy,’ ” she says.
“And now what’s the point in keeping them because I’m just going to look at them and go, Luke was only this big when he died. I know that that will improve, but all the fond memories of him growing up are now tragic memories.”
Rosie is setting up a foundation to honour the memory of Luke. Money raised will be used to assist children affected by violence. To donate to the fund, visit
