Fisherman nets $850,000 lotto win
A FISHERMAN from Burleigh Heads has hooked more than $850,000 following a lotto win.
The semi-retired man is now $855,079.21 richer after reeling in division one in Saturday's Gold Lotto draw.
He bought the jumbo 36-game QuickPick from Burleigh Heads Newsagency at 17 Connor St.
When advised about the win, he couldn't stop smiling.
"Tell you what, my face is sore from smiling non-stop since yesterday," he told Gold Lotto staffers.
"I couldn't drive for the better part of Sunday after I checked those numbers because my knees became rubbery. It was like my legs had gone to water."
He said the prize came at the perfect time.
"I'm semi-retired so I'll really appreciate this money at this new stage in my life. It's perfect.
"I'm planning on buying a house for my retirement and doing some international travel."
He plans to spend plenty on his hobby of fishing.
"I'm a keen fisherman so I'll be going fishing a lot more," he said.
"This win is the biggest catch I've ever had though! I've been dreaming of this moment since I started playing Gold Lotto 30 years ago."
The winner is a long-time supporter of a number of charities and he plans on donating a portion.
"The St Vincent de Paul Society and the Salvation Army do wonderful work with needy families, so I'm very happy to be able to continue supporting them."
Throughout Australia there were five winners who shared in Saturday's guaranteed $4 million division one prize pool.
There were three winners in Queensland, one in Victoria and one in Western Australia.
