A Busselton carer who kept playing her late father’s favourite Lotto numbers has landed a $2.22 million Saturday windfall — giving the family a second generation of jackpot winners.
The West Busselton woman only started playing Lotto after her dad died, continuing the weekly ritual by using the numbers he had faithfully chosen for years.
And the numbers delivered a life-changing payday.
“Dad never had a significant win with those numbers, he would have absolutely loved knowing that we won,” the winner said.
The ticket was bought at West Busselton Newsagency where the woman has made buying her weekly ticket part of her routine.
“It’s something I enjoy doing every week and the people there feel like family now,” she said.
The woman and her husband were looking after their grandchildren when they decided to check the ticket while visiting a nearby regional town.
The newsagent’s reaction quickly told her something was up.
“When they checked the ticket, they asked me to come out the back and sit down and gave me the good news,” she said.
The couple plan to renovate their bathroom, buy a new car and use the money to help support their family into the future.
But the biggest priority remains the people around them.
“If our children and grandchildren are happy, that’s all that matters to us,” the winner said.
The couple’s celebrations will be suitably low-key, with Chinese food already on the menu and fish and chips and a family steak night likely to follow.
“We had Chinese food when we first found out and we’ll probably have fish and chips as well, and then a big family steak night because we love to get together as a family,” she said.
The win has added another chapter to the family’s lottery history, with the woman revealing her great-grandfather also won a division one prize decades ago — when Australia still used pounds.
“Our family kept the ticket all these years, so we have a lotto legacy now,” she said.
Lotterywest spokesperson Nikki Wilson-Smith said the win was a fitting tribute to carers who put their families first.
“This couple have spent years caring for others, including their children, grandchildren and always putting family first,” she said.
“At a time when we recognise National Carers Week, it’s wonderful to see a life-changing win go to people whose lives have been built around supporting those they love.”
National Carers Week runs from October 11 to 17, recognising the more than three million Australians who care for family members and friends.