Love letters written by Luke Batty to one of his classmates in the months before he was killed by his father at cricket training reveal a boy on the brink of adolescence – with a healthy sense of humour.
The letters, which are among touching revelations by Luke’s mother, Rosie Batty in her memoir “A Mother’s Story” to be released this week, paint the picture of a typically cheeky eleven year-old, determined to win the affection of a girl at school.
Luke wrote a letter to the parents of the girl he had admired from afar for over a year – and asked his mother to proofread it.
Describing it as “a masterstroke of innocent seduction”, Rosie writes how Luke gravely informed the girl’s parents in his letter that he was one of three boys at school interested in their daughter.
“He said that he was by far the best prospect because he could do better cartwheels than the other two,” Rosie writes. “He added that he had a particular advantage over one of his rivals, who spent ‘far too much time brushing his hair’.
“Dear Mrs or Mr W,” reads an excerpt of the love letter. “I have loved your daughter for some time and it turns out two other boys I know like her, maybe three … I’m an active, funny guy who can do a perfect cartwheel for a boy. I would take care of [your daughter] as long as I live. So there you have it. I am the one. Please send back, From Luke.”
Luke was killed by his father, Greg Anderson, during cricket practice at Tyabb Oval, on the Mornington Peninsula in February last year. At the time of Luke’s death, Greg was facing eleven criminal charges and had four warrants out for his arrest.
ABOVE: Rosie Batty with her book’s co-author, Bryce Corbett.
Rosie’s remarkable efforts since then to shine a light on the scourge of family violence has seen her become Australian of The Year and earned her the respect of millions of Australians.
Her book, written in collaboration with The Weekly’s Executive Editor, Bryce Corbett, is not only an account of an all-too common domestic violence scenario – but also a touching tribute to the life of a little boy gone too soon.
“I lost my son – my only son,” Rosie writes. “And he was my reason for being. So now I have a choice. I either shrivel up and let his senseless death defeat me, or I stand up and use the platform I have been given to try to ensure no other woman in Australia suffers the same fate as me. Because no mother should have to feel this pain.”
Proceeds from the sale of “A Mother’s Story” will go to the Luke Batty Foundation.
Rosie Batty: A Mother’s Story ($32.99, Harper Collins) goes on sale October 1. An exclusive extract of ‘A Mother’s Story’ will be published in the November issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly.
