A woman who has holidayed at Maroochydore for most of her life can now call the Coast home permanently, after winning not one but two dream prize homes at Noosa.
The Brisbane woman, whose name has been withheld to maintain her anonymity and privacy, received a phone call last month to tell her she’d won the $6.3 million prize through the RSL Art Union.
See inside the villas in the gallery above
The woman was physically shaking when she was told she’d won Draw 403, and came just weeks before her 60th birthday.
The prize includes two villas located a short drive to Hastings Street and with views of Lake Weyba, plus more than $324,000 of furniture and appliances. Each villa has four bedrooms and three bathrooms, and one has a private pool.
“It’s not quite real, not at all,” the winner said. “It hasn’t sunk in yet at all. It still feels a bit of a dream and you’re going to wake up soon and realise.”
She said she was unsure yet what she would do with the two villas.
“I have no idea,” she said. “I know the next three weeks I am going to work my butt off because I have a holiday planned that’s been booked for ages. And then I come back from that and have the big 6-0 birthday.
“My family had a holiday house at Maroochydore and they have had that since my mother was a teenager, and I have had every holiday there since.
“We were lucky enough to have a holiday home in the family we would frequent, and it always made for such great memories. It’s sort of profound that now I’m able to supply the next generation of the family with the same great holiday adventures and memories ongoing.
“When my husband died my retirement plans were limited. This win has definitely eased those concerns.
“However, like any great shock in life I’m going to let this win sink in and decide slowly on my next steps. I don’t see myself retiring yet, but I now have the confidence to do so comfortably if I choose.”
Related story: The special art of creating lottery prize homes
She had some simple advice for people thinking about entering the RSL Art Union draws.
“You’ve got to be in it to win it,” she said.
“A lot of people are very angry with me at the moment – of course, a lot of people are also very happy for me too!
“I would tell people to not hesitate. You build these marvellous homes for the right reasons. You can’t dream about winning a prize home unless you buy a ticket.
“This win has definitely given me more financial freedom – and simply, just opened up more choices. One choice I’ve already made was to upgrade some flights for an upcoming trip. Now that made me giddy.”
The RSL Art Union was created as a way to provide a secure funding source for RSL Queensland, allowing the continuation of support programs to veterans and their families.
Draw 405 is now open, with a $6.6 million Gold Coast complex prize up for grabs. To enter click here.
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