Matraville resident Maria Reilly had only one wish for her 104th birthday. She wanted to celebrate with someone she admires, except no one knew if he could be there because he’s quite a busy man.
But to her and her family’s surprise, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet dropped by, with yellow roses on hand. Ms Reilly said it was one of the best birthdays in her long life. Family members, some of whom have flown in to celebrate the milestone, said that they have not seen their 104-year-old grandmother smile that much in a long time.
Ms Reilly, who has claimed she’s always voted Liberal, has admired the Premier because he is not just a good Catholic man but he’s also “very good looking, even more handsome in real life.”
Premier makes Maria’s 104th a forget-me-not – https://t.co/W7it8W28ww pic.twitter.com/a1oUiOXpT1
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Mr Perrottet indulged her with all of her questions about his job and his private life. She nudged him to have baby number eight because it’s a lucky number in her culture. The Premier has six daughters and a son.
The 104-year-old mom, who was from Malaysia, was visiting Australia in the 1970s to attend her daughter’s wedding. She decided to apply for residency and worked at the Water Board for 40 years.
Years later, Maria Reilly retired and met Jim Rielly whilst volunteering at Vinnies. They married at the age of 80 years old.
She is a devoted parishioner of St Agnes Matraville, where she goes to mass every Saturday evening. The 104-year-old mom is also a member of The Castlereagh (Catholic Club Limited).