Lotto win for man who lost his job
A Hamilton man who lost his job at the start of lockdown was able to surprise his wife with a $10.3 million Lotto win lifeline.
The couple, who wish to remain anonymous, are still coming to terms with their May 13 win.
The man had lost his job in the weeks before their big win, and the woman, a healthcare worker, has been working as an essential worker throughout.
The husband took also took a novel approach to delivering the news. ‘‘I walked into the house and my husband was sitting at the kitchen table,’’ the woman said. ‘‘There was an envelope waiting for me in my spot. He was acting strange – it was a bit awkward.
‘‘He told me to open the envelope – inside was a newspaper clipping of an article saying someone from Hamilton had won $10.3m. I said, ‘why are you showing me this?’ He replied with, ‘it’s us, we are the winners.’ I thought he was joking,’’ said the woman.
‘‘I didn’t get it – I didn’t understand why he was showing me the article. ‘That’s not us,’ I said. He had to show me the ticket on his phone before I believed him – I’ll never forget that moment – it felt too good to be true. It was very emotional.’’
The man said it could not have come at a better time. ‘‘I lost my job at the beginning of the lockdown, so we’ve been really worried about our future, particularly the impact it would have on our retirement, and our children’s education.’’
The couple celebrated that night by sharing a bottle of bubbles. A sleepless night followed, with the pair talking about all the possibilities for their future.
‘‘We just want to be as normal as possible – we don’t want this to change us.’’
Woman with $10.3 million in the bank
With the money now safely in their bank account, the couple are making plans for their future. They are planning to repair a beloved old car that broke down recently, pay off their mortgage, support their children’s tertiary education, and look for ways they can help other people in need.
‘‘We just want to be as normal as possible – we don’t want this to change us. We feel incredibly lucky and want to set ourselves up for the future, but also look at how we can help others,’’ said the woman.