Beryl Mackie, 100, sold her home of nearly 80 years.
A St George resident who turned 100 years old just days ago got the ultimate birthday present when her home of nearly 80 years sold at auction for $1.17m.
Beryl Mackie had been living at Shaw St, Bexley house since her marriage in 1942 and only moved out a few months ago.
The centenarian’s late husband paid about 1000 pounds for the three-bedroom house in 1938, according to her family.
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Ms Mackie watched the auction on Saturday via FaceTime while in enforced lockdown at a nursing home and had been looking forward to the sale with a mix of excitement and sadness, daughter Sue Hannon said.
“She was very keen to hear how it went,” Ms Hannon said. “She only moved out about two months ago because it was getting a bit hard with coronavirus and the isolation … she is doing well, she still does the crosswords every day.”
THEN: The Bexley home soon after the Mackie family purchased it.
NOW: The Bexley house today.
Ms Mackie recently received the customary letter of congratulations sent by the Queen for those who turn 100.
“We were thinking a good sale would be lovely for her,” Ms Hannon said, adding she had fond memories growing up in Shaw St and remembers when the surrounding area was considered the outskirts of Sydney.
“It used to be the last house on the street, everything after that was bush,” she said.
Ms Mackie was the wife of long-time St George Football Club (now St George Illawarra Dragons) chairman Alex Mackie, who administered the team during its run of 10 consecutive premierships in the late 1950s and 1960s.
The home sold to a young family.
The couple’s strong links to the game meant her recent birthday message from the Queen was not her first experience with the monarch — she had met her at a rugby league match decades before.
The family were hoping before the auction that the home would sell to a young family who could create memories of their own.
“It’s a great house in a really good location, close to the shops. The neighbours are lovely and have lived there almost as long as we have,” Ms Hannon said.
Ms Mackie had to watch the auction from her nursing home due to the COVID pandemic.
The sale was $67,000 over the reserve price and there were six bidders. The buyers were a young family.
Selling agent Marc Gable of McGrath-Brighton Le Sands said the history of the home was appealing for prospective buyers.
“A lot of people saw all the old pictures on the wall and wanted to create their own history,” he said. “The family are stoked. I’m glad we could make Beryl happy.”
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