Perth, West Australia
A single mother in her 40s who lives in a Homeswest house has come forward to claim last week’s $6 million Powerball prize.
The elated woman left it until today to present the winning ticket to Lotterywest, having gone to work as normal the day after she found that she had become a multi-millionaire.
The woman had watched the draw on Thursday night with her daughter and brother and was stunned to realise that she had five numbers and the Powerball.
“We danced around the room and then told our neighbours. Soon the whole street was celebrating. One of our neighbours was crying and saying that that they didn’t want us to leave them,” she said.
The woman told Lotterywest staff that she had always known she would win Lotto.
“When I was 21 a gypsy came to my home in England selling clothes pegs. She told me that I would come into a large amount of money in unusual circumstances. Since then I have always known that it was only a matter of time before I won Lotto.”
The woman plans to invest half her winnings and use the rest to put her family into homes of their own.
“I’ll buy a place of my own and set my family up. We’ve struggled and my children have never asked for anything. Now I can give them everything I’ve always wanted to give them. I’ll pay off the mortgages of my brothers and sisters too. After that maybe I’ll think about a holiday – I’ve always loved the idea of going to Canada,” the happy winner said.
And in spite of joining the ranks of the super rich WA’s latest Lotto winner will continue working.
“I said to my boss “You know that saying “One Powerball …” ? Well I’ve done it – but I’m not going anywhere !”