Sanctuary by Garry Disher ISBN:9781922790620

author event: rosie batty

wednesday 29 may ||  6.30pm

The Studio @ PCT  |  Tickets $15  |  Bookings essential

We are thrilled to welcome Rosie Batty in conversation with Melbourne Journalist and Author Sue Smethurst this May to discuss her new book Hope due for release on April 3.

Venue: This is an offsite event held at The Studio @ PCT 91 Wilsons Rd, Mornington VIC 3931.

Time: 6.15pm arrival for a 6.30pm start.

Hope

Available 3 April

After tragedy, how do we find hope? A memoir about what it takes to get through the very worst of times from Rosie Batty – a woman who has experienced tragedy, who had lost all hope, yet now is intent on finding it again.

On a warm summer’s evening in February 2014, eleven-year-old Luke Batty was killed by his father at cricket practice. It was a horrific act of family violence that shocked Australia.

The next morning, his mother Rosie bravely stood before the media. Her powerful and gut-wrenching words about family violence galvanised the nation and catapulted her into the spotlight. From that day on, Rosie Batty campaigned tirelessly to protect women and children, winning hearts and minds with her courage and compassion, singlehandedly changing the conversation around domestic violence in this country. Rosie’s remarkable efforts were recognised when she became the 2015 Australian of the Year and a year later she was named one of the World’s Greatest Leaders by Fortune magazine. However, behind Rosie’s steely public resolve and seemingly unbreakable spirit, she was a mum grieving the loss of her adored son.

What happens when you become an accidental hero? What happens the day after the worst day of your life? What happens when you are forced to confront the emptiness and silence of a house that once buzzed with the energy of a young son?

You go to dark places from which you’re not sure you’ll ever recover.

Following on from her runaway best-seller A Mother’s Story, which detailed the lead up to her son’s murder, Hope shares what happened to Rosie the day after the worst day of her life and how she reclaimed hope when all hope was lost. She shares her struggles with anxiety, PTSD, self-doubt and self-loathing and how she finally confronted her grief. She shares the stories of those who have inspired her to keep going, and given her hope when she needed it most. In this heartfelt, and at times heartbreaking memoir, Rosie tells how she found the light on her darkest days and how she found hope to carry on.

about the speakers

Rosie Batty is a British-Australian family violence prevention campaigner and speaker. After her 11-year-old son, Luke, was killed by his father in a violent incident in February 2014. Rosie began speaking publicly about her experience after addressing the media the morning after Luke’s murder, becoming an advocate for domestic violence survivors and victims, for addressing the systemic failures in responses to domestic violence in Australia, and for stopping this violence from occurring in the first place. She won the Pride of Australia Award in 2014 and was named Australian of the Year in January 2015. Her first memoir, A Mother’s Story, was published in 2016. Her second book, Hope, will be released on 3 April 2024.

Sue Smethurst is an award-winning journalist, Sue has written for Australia’s biggest and most respected titles, including The Australian Women’s Weekly, The Weekend Australian magazine, The Age Good Weekend, New Idea, Woman’s Day and many more. Her career has taken her around the globe interviewing a who’s who of celebrities, newsmakers, colourful identities, sports stars and politicians. In addition to her editorial career Sue has worked on and off camera with A Current Affair and Sunrise, and spent five years as a weekly commentator with Neil Mitchell on 3AW.

Sue is also a best-selling author with book sales in excess of 100,000 copies, specialising in non-fiction. Her books include Behind Closed Doors (2015) followed by the highly acclaimed Blood on the Rosary (2018), the epic Australian outback memoir A Diamond in the Dust (2020) and the much anticipated The Freedom Circus (2020).