Deaf Lottery caught up with their first major prize winner Freya* to chat about what her life-changing $830,000 windfall has meant for her and her family.
Now you’ve had a chance to process it, can you tell us what it felt like to receive that winning phone call?
Receiving that phone call was so surreal. It’s hard to comprehend that you’ve won that much money! My youngest came home first after school and I was outside waiting (which I never am!) so he knew something was up straight away.
I asked him to sit down – again, not something I usually do – and I told him I’d received a life-changing phone call from the Deaf Lottery and we’d won $830,000! He actually cried, he couldn’t believe it and we hugged and talked it all through.
My eldest son got home at 6pm after work and I asked him to come near me so I could tell him something.
He said, “Just tell me mum – you’re being weird!”
I walked over to him and grabbed his arms (he’s taller than me) and told him the news and he just hugged me and said wow …
We jumped online to look at houses together until after 10pm that night. We’re normally all in bed by 9pm because we all have to get up early, but not that night!
If you’re looking to make your dreams come true — whether it’s living more comfortably, taking a cross-country road trip, or spoiling your loved ones — Draw 218 is now open!
Have you decided what prize option you will go with and what you will do with it?
I’d decided early on that the Drive Away Lifestyle option was going to be my prize choice so I could get a new car and purchase our own home.
My car is seven years old so one Saturday I took a day off work and arranged delivery of a new Hybrid Camry and then my boys and I went to an open house … and signed the contract on a house 15 minutes away from where we currently rent.
It’s so amazing to think we will own our own home, mortgage-free and never have to worry about rental inspections again!
Click here to get a quick breakdown of the prizes you could win!
What has winning the Lottery meant to you and your family?
It honestly is a life-changing experience for us as we would never have been able to save up a house deposit with the high rent we pay each fortnight.
It has changed our lives to be able to own our own home and to have a new car. I’ve also lent my eldest son money to buy a 4WD which he needs for his apprenticeship, so it’s also helped set him up earlier than we thought.
Why did you decide to begin supporting Deaf Lottery? How did it feel to learn you’d won an extra $30k just through being a Deaf Lottery VIP?
I felt so lucky to think that because I support such a worthwhile charity I also won an extra $30k!
I was happy to support and becoming a VIP just makes it easier – having the tickets come out automatically each time, knowing you won’t miss any draws and also having the chance to win that extra money on top of your win!
And you just never know if it’s you who will get a life-changing call like I did. You have to be in it to win it!
Become a VIP for effortless access to every draw, automatic ticket entries, and an extra chance to boost your winnings!
Draw 218 will close on Sunday 15 December, with the drawing on Thursday 19 December. Since this is a closed lottery, only a limited number of tickets are available. Be sure to secure tickets quickly!
*Name changed to protect anonymity