Rosie Batty nominated for Pride of Australia by top cop Ken Lay

GRIEVING mum Rosie Batty has been lauded as the most “remarkable’’ victim the Chief Commissioner has ever met, as he nominates her for a Pride of Australia medal.

Chief Commissioner Ken Lay and Rosie Batty

GRIEVING mum Rosie Batty has been lauded as the most “remarkable’’ victim the state’s top cop has ever met.

As her aching loss is compounded by her slain son Luke’s recent birthday, Chief Commissioner Ken Lay wants her courage to be formally recognised.

He praised as inspirational the strength she has shown from the day after Luke’s father Greg Anderson murdered him on a Tyabb cricket oval in February.

Mr Lay, who met privately with Ms Batty in the days and months after the tragedy, has now nominated her for a Pride of Australia Courage medal.

“She’s a remarkable woman, I have dealt with a lot of victims in my policing career but I’ve never quite met one who is so focused on turning her tragedy into a positive,’’ he said.

“Since Luke’s death she has relentlessly worked hard to make sure that Victoria Police, agencies and the community better understand family violence, and to try and make sure a similar tragedy doesn’t befall others.’’

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Ms Batty’s rural home has this week been filled with flowers, cards and gifts to mark the 12th birthday Luke never reached.

His school Flinders Christian Community College presented her with school photos, cricket bats signed by students and a jumper emblazoned with his name.

Friends and family gathered at her home to release balloons with messages for the promising athlete, the day after his June 20 birthday.

Ms Batty said she had felt his loss even more acutely in the past week and has been tormented by dreams of trying to save him.

“It’s been hard, it’s been really hard this last week,’’ she wept.

“The school gave me photos of him swimming, and he just looked so alive ...

“The trauma of that night is not what I worry about — it’s not having him for the future.

“His friends will graduate this year and go to high school, and he won’t. I’ll never see him walk home from school again.’’

Rosie Batty was presented with cricket bats signed by her son Luke’s fellow students in honour of his birthday on June 20th.

She described Mr Lay’s nomination as overwhelming.

“If it was for something that I had done that wasn’t in relation to such a direct tragedy for me, you would be really proud of it as an achievement,’’ she said.

“There is that huge sense of pride but it is a strange kind of feeling.’’

Some family and friends have expressed concern over her seemingly endless bravery, she said, telling her that one day she might just “crack up”.

But the strong-willed Tyabb resident said while she has slowed down, she wants to hammer the message home while the community is listening.

Just this week she addressed a group of police sexual offence and child abuse investigators and government child protection staff to help agencies work better together.

Mr Lay said her brave campaign for change in the family violence system is achieving results and puts the issue firmly on the public and political agenda.

“It’s quite remarkable, for someone who has gone through what she has gone through. The day it happened she had every right to be very angry about a whole lot of things, the system in many ways let her down.

“Her compassion in trying to make the system better, rather than do what many people in her position would — look to people to blame — sets her apart.’’

He said if he were in her shoes: “I would be very angry’’.

While there was a long way to go to stamp out family violence, he said it was the first time he could remember that it was being discussed by both sides of politics in the lead-up to an election.

He credits her for driving improvements in the police IT system after procedural flaws were revealed that meant police were unaware of outstanding arrest warrants for Anderson.

“Every now and then we, the bureaucrats, the public servants, the agencies, need a wake-up call.

“That’s why Rosie is immensely important for me. She makes me better, and keeps me focused on being better.

“She has made sure young Luke’s death wasn’t simply another statistic.’’

Nominations for the 2014 Pride of Australia medal close on July 29.

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Luke Batty was killed by his father at a cricket oval.