A West Australian man in his 50s, given only months to live, has won $772,000 in the Saturday Lotto windfall draw. He was one of eight national winners, sharing a $6 million prize pool.
The man described the win as bittersweet, saying it will help support his family after he is gone. 'I was well prepared with no debt and decent super, but now I know that my family will be set up really well,' he said.
He nearly missed the ticket purchase, entering his numbers at 5:55 pm, just five minutes before the draw closed. He usually buys two entries: one with favorite numbers and one random Slikpik. Due to time pressure, he accepted the first random choice, which turned out to be the winner.
The winning numbers were on line 16, a detail with special meaning: the couple married on the 16th and won 10 years and one week after their wedding. His wife said, 'We’ve been building lots of memories, but it will be hard to top this one.'
The couple plans to use the money for business class flights to visit family on the east coast, something they thought was no longer possible. 'I am glad I’ll be able to help out some of those family members who have been doing it really tough,' the man added.
Lotterywest spokeswoman Jennie Fitzhardinge said the story was unforgettable and touched many hearts. 'It is always moving to meet people who have won a life-changing amount of money, but there are things that money just can’t buy,' she said.
