Not everyone experiences the honour of receiving birthday wishes from the Queen of England, but Spiridoula Andonopoulou has ticked the achievement off her bucket list, having celebrated her 100th birthday last month.

Born on 22 November, 1916, Ms Andonopoulou ventured to Australia in 1965 at the age of 49 with her husband Thanasis and youngest daughter Maria, where she was reunited with her daughters Aglaia and Vasiliki.

According to her granddaughter Christine Gianni, to this day the family’s matriarch continues to be a great support to her children, six grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

“She always has a smile on her face and enjoys a good laugh. She never complains and is still very independent and uses public transport to get around,” Ms Gianni told Neos Kosmos.

A devout Christian, Ms Andonopoulou attends services at the Holy Trinity church in Richmond every Sunday, where she has become known among parishioners as ‘the grandmother of Richmond’. It was there that she celebrated her 100th birthday on Sunday 27 November, attended by family and friends including Bishop Ezekiel of Dervis, who gave a heartwarming speech.

The centenarian also received congratulatory messages from the Governor General of Australia, Peter Cosgrove and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, but the highlight was a card she received from the actors of her beloved American soap The Bold and the Beautiful, which she “watches religiously everyday”.
Knowing how much her grandmother loves reading Neos Kosmos, Ms Gianni decided to reach out in the hope her story would be featured as a gesture on her special day. Of course, we said yes.

“My yiayia walks to the newsagent every Monday and Thursday morning to buy the Neos Kosmos. It will be a nice surprise for her when she opens it up and sees her photo!” she said.