Bill O'Brien, trustee and manager of the Sophie Elliott foundation, is remembering Lesley as "the most courageous person I've known". (Source: 1News)
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Tributes have started flowing for domestic violence campaigner Lesley Elliott, who is described as a "courageous and brave" woman, following her death on Sunday.
Elliott became a prominent figure in the battle against domestic violence following the brutal killing of her 22-year-old daughter Sophie in 2008.
Sophie was murdered by her former boyfriend Clayton Weatherston.
Lesley set up the Sophie Elliott Foundation to raise awareness around the signs of domestic abuse and violence.
In the 2015 Queen's Birthday honours, she was appointed a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her services to prevention of domestic violence.
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Trustee and manager of the foundation Bill O'Brien said she was "the most courageous person I've known".
"The thing about her was that she could talk to kids, she could talk to gang members, she could talk to prime ministers, governor generals, and everyone was sort of the same. She wasn't phased by anyone no matter their standing, wherever they came from, she just handled it, a very natural gifted speaker."
Lesley had been sick over the past decade she'd been working with O'Brien.
"She had Parkinson's disease almost throughout the entire time we were travelling the country talking and people didn't know, she was able to overcome it and keep going," O'Brien said, who was also awarded a New Zealand Order of Merit in 2018 for his services in the space.
Sophie Elliott and Lesley Elliott (Source: 1News)
The pair travelled up and down the country for a decade, speaking to young people in the hopes of reducing levels of domestic violence by helping them foster healthy relationships.
That was until 2019 when the foundation closed.
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"Sophie was very personal to Lesley - the message, the whole story, everything - and she didn't feel it would be right if she couldn't be a part of it and if someone else took it over what direction might it go in, so we decided we'd achieved all we wanted to and we closed it down," O'Brien explained.
Police continue the work of the foundation with the Loves-Me-Not programme to prevent abusive behaviour in relationships.
It's based on a student inquiry learning process, where students take action to prevent harm from relationship abuse.
After the news broke today, O'Brien's been inundated with calls.
"She affected a lot of people, more than people would realise."
The pair co-authored two books together - Loves Me Not - How to Keep Relationships Safe and Sophie's Legacy.
"She was a good buddy, we were the best of friends, I think that's one of the secrets, we just hit if off. She could talk to me about anything and we just seemed to be a real good partnership," O'Brien said.
"That came about through writing the book Sophie's Legacy, you can't do a book like that, that's from the heart, without getting close and understanding each other and I'll cherish that for always, she's been a big part of my life."
A funeral for Lesley will be held at 2pm on Friday in Dunedin.
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