Ticket was gift that kept on giving

A RETIRED Cardwell man yesterday morning discovered he was the region’s mystery Saturday Gold Lotto division one winner.

The man, who wished to remain anonymous, found out of his win after checking a ticket he received from his son as a gift. He was one of nine division one winners across Australia, pocketing $ 443,884.30.

The man’s unregistered ticket also won division four, lifting his haul to $ 443,923.90.

“I only checked ( the ticket) this morning. It was a present from my son,” the man said.

“Wacko! It’s just been sitting here in an envelope. I meant to check it before but I forgot about it — I must be getting old and dottery.”

The regular Gold Lotto player plans to share his winnings with his children.

“It will help boost the nest egg and I might spread some of it among the kids,” he said.

“I’m sure we’ll have a bit of a family celebration once I see the money in the bank account.”

The winning entry was bought at Cardwell Newsagency, thrilling owners Lisa and Philip Gruber.

“A win like this is good news that’s spread through our small community,” Mrs Gruber said.

“Everyone’s been coming in asking whether the winner has been found.

“They’ll be happy to know it’s a local.”