Launceston Mayor Matthew Garwood has extended an official invitation to Katy Perry to visit Tasmania and hold a real Tasmanian Devil, ahead of the state’s AFL team entering the competition.
The invitation comes after Garwood met the international superstar at the AFL Grand Final on Saturday, where she performed as the pre-game entertainment.
In a letter to Perry dated October 1, the mayor thanked her for the “generous amount of time” she gave him at the grand final and reiterated his invitation.
“Understanding your incredibly busy schedule, perhaps this might be something we could incorporate into your AUS tour,” he wrote.
Garwood said he struck up a conversation with Perry while walking past her corporate box window with City of Launceston CEO Sam Johnson during Saturday’s game.
“I said, ‘oh yeah, we’re here from Tasmania’ and got onto a bit of a chat about the Devils,” he told Local Radio.
“And she said how ‘they’re going to smash it when they enter’ and I said, ‘well, I’m the mayor – why don’t you come down for the first game?'”
The mayor said Perry’s eyes lit up and, after introducing her to the CEO, he decided to offer her a council card as proof of his authority.
“She basically snatched it out of my hand and said, ‘rock and roll’.”
“I’ve just been sitting by my phone for the last two days, just hoping that her team might at some stage reach out,” Garwood said.
The Tasmanian Devils are set to make their AFL debut in 2028.
