Sydney Observer pays tribute to the late Willoughby Mayor Pat Reilly
Pat Reilly, one of Australia’s longest serving Mayors was farewelled late last month by hundreds of mourners at Our Lady of Dolours Church in Chatswood.
Reilly was remembered as the quintessential Australian larrikin – a local champion who would dress up as Elvis and impersonate the occasional Prime Minister. But the larger-than-life Mayor of Willoughby was rembered most for his committment to his family and local community.
Willoughby Council General Manager, Nick Tobin said the passing of Reilly was an incredible loss for the local community.
“No words can describe the immense contribution he made to the City of Willoughby and to its people,” Tobin said.
“Pat was the type of person you meet once in a lifetime, and we are all so fortunate to have shared him in our lives.”
He served on Willougby Council for three decades, was elected as Mayor in 1997 and nearly snatched the safe Liberal seat of Willoughby from Gladys Berejiklian in 2003.
However, Reilly’s nephew, best-selling fiction writer, Matthew Reilly, said the development of the Concourse and Chatswood’s civic centre, home to a library, concert hall, theatre and studios were among his uncle’s most significant achievements.
A champion of community-building projects, Reilly refered to himself as the “Minister for Footpaths”. With an eye for practacality, he worked to ensure that Willoughby residents had access to world-class community resources.
Matthew Reilly believes his uncle’s devotion to Willoughby was so strong that when his aunt Beth married Pat: “She also got the city of Willoughby as her in-laws.”
A musician at heart, Reilly would perform as Elvis at retirement homes, charity events and school fund-raisers. At last year’s community Christmas party on the Concourse, local families and friends were treated to Reilly’s last performance, his rendition of When You’re Smiling (The Whole World Smiles With You).
Reilly is survived by his wife Beth and daughter Sophie.
