BATTLER WINS $30M
Posted: Sat Dec 13, 2003 5:57 am
Battler wins $30m
THE tiny hamlet of Yamba on the North Coast was abuzz yesterday with excitement and speculation, with news that one of their own had won the $30 million Powerball jackpot.
That equates to $5000 for every person in town – but which one of them has landed the lot remains a closely guarded secret, even from the owners of the newsagency which sold the lucky ticket.
"At this stage NSW Lotteries and the person themselves are the only ones who know who the winner is," Yamba Fair Newsagency owner Michael Thompson said.
"All we know is we sold the winning ticket and we assume it was a local and that they are pretty happy right now."
Among the shoppers at the local Bi-Lo, the drinkers at the Yamba Shores Tavern and the pedestrians walking along the main street, rumours are rife about which of them has scored the windfall of several lifetimes.
"There has been all sorts of rumours of it being a young fella to an old fella to a single mother," said Pauline Ryan, one of four newsagency workers who possibly sold the winning ticket. "It will only be a matter of a couple of days before we know I reckon."
Lotteries NSW spokesman John Vineburg said the person was a registered player who regularly bought entries from the Yamba Fair newsagency.
"The person is a bit of a battler, someone that every other player wouldn't begrudge winning such a big prize," Mr Vineburg said.
Mr Thompson, who with his wife Karen, has owned the newsagency for just 12 months, believed all their luck had been used up in February when a local woman snared more than $1 million in Lotto.
"We were pretty excited when we sold the $1 million ticket, but this is just unbelievable"' Mr Thompson said.
"I wouldn't mind a cut of the interest.
"But it has been great for us because when you sell a winning ticket like this it seems to create an aura that good things run in three and people flock to buy more tickets."
Employee Ms Ryan said that when the $1 million went off in February everyone knew who the winner was within a couple of days.
Gail Napier, who also works in the newsagency, said she hoped the winner was treated well by the community.
Miss Napier said the local lady who won the million-dollar prize earlier this year had been "a bit depressed" because "people just didn't want to know her for a while".
But the woman, who is having a new home built and is about to leave the caravan she called home before her win, had since become a lot happier.
THE tiny hamlet of Yamba on the North Coast was abuzz yesterday with excitement and speculation, with news that one of their own had won the $30 million Powerball jackpot.
That equates to $5000 for every person in town – but which one of them has landed the lot remains a closely guarded secret, even from the owners of the newsagency which sold the lucky ticket.
"At this stage NSW Lotteries and the person themselves are the only ones who know who the winner is," Yamba Fair Newsagency owner Michael Thompson said.
"All we know is we sold the winning ticket and we assume it was a local and that they are pretty happy right now."
Among the shoppers at the local Bi-Lo, the drinkers at the Yamba Shores Tavern and the pedestrians walking along the main street, rumours are rife about which of them has scored the windfall of several lifetimes.
"There has been all sorts of rumours of it being a young fella to an old fella to a single mother," said Pauline Ryan, one of four newsagency workers who possibly sold the winning ticket. "It will only be a matter of a couple of days before we know I reckon."
Lotteries NSW spokesman John Vineburg said the person was a registered player who regularly bought entries from the Yamba Fair newsagency.
"The person is a bit of a battler, someone that every other player wouldn't begrudge winning such a big prize," Mr Vineburg said.
Mr Thompson, who with his wife Karen, has owned the newsagency for just 12 months, believed all their luck had been used up in February when a local woman snared more than $1 million in Lotto.
"We were pretty excited when we sold the $1 million ticket, but this is just unbelievable"' Mr Thompson said.
"I wouldn't mind a cut of the interest.
"But it has been great for us because when you sell a winning ticket like this it seems to create an aura that good things run in three and people flock to buy more tickets."
Employee Ms Ryan said that when the $1 million went off in February everyone knew who the winner was within a couple of days.
Gail Napier, who also works in the newsagency, said she hoped the winner was treated well by the community.
Miss Napier said the local lady who won the million-dollar prize earlier this year had been "a bit depressed" because "people just didn't want to know her for a while".
But the woman, who is having a new home built and is about to leave the caravan she called home before her win, had since become a lot happier.
