Car winner at the wheel
Nicholson United Autos Matamata owner Ross Nicholson, left, presents Putaruru’s Helen Baldwin with her new Suzuki Swift. Helen Baldwin had never won anything big.
The Putaruru woman said she was in disbelief when she received a phone call telling her she had won a new Suzuki Swift in a Fairfax promotion.
The Great Car Giveaway was a national competition published across Fairfax titles, including the Waikato Times, for five weeks in December and January.
Each week of the promotion Fairfax gave away a Suzuki car, complete with 12 months’ registration and warrant of fitness, a three-year/100,000 kilometre warranty, five-years of Suzuki Roadside Assistance and a tank of fuel.
As a Waikato Times subscriber, Baldwin won week four of the promotion.
Speaking to Fairfax when collecting her car last Friday, Baldwin said she was stuck for words when she received the news.
She said she had ‘‘absolutely’’ never won anything this big before.
Baldwin and husband Robin had resumed their subscription to the Times late last year.
She had two grandchildren staying and one had mentioned the fact they needed a car.
Baldwin said the grandchild saw the ad in the Times and told them this was their opportunity.
‘‘All three of us texted in and entered,’’ she said.
Baldwin doesn’t think she had many entries in the competition and her grandchildren couldn’t believe it when she told them she had won the car.
‘‘If you don’t enter you don’t have a chance,’’ was the advice she gave others on entering competitions like this.
On presenting Baldwin with her car, Nicholson United Autos Matamata owner Ross Nicholson said he was excited to be part of the promotion.
Nicholson United Autos had only come on board with Suzuki in the past 18 months.
Lucky winner: