A New Home, A New Beginning: Kerry’s Story

One quiet evening on the couch, Kerry was scrolling through her phone when a Deaf Lottery ad popped up on her feed. She paused for a moment, then decided to grab a few tickets and try her luck. “I thought, even if I don’t win, it’s going to a good cause – and that’s enough,” she said. 

Flash forward a few weeks, Kerry was in a work meeting when her phone started buzzing. A message came through – and something about it caught her attention. She muted her call, rang the number back, and received the shock of a lifetime: she was the Major Prize Winner of Deaf Lottery 222.

“I was actually in a meeting with my manager when I got the winner’s call, she said.  

“I saw a message come through and didn’t think much of it… but something told me to check. I muted the zoom call, rang back – and that’s when I found out.” And her manager was watching the whole time!  

“I must’ve sounded really flat – my sister heard the call recording and said, “You don’t sound excited!” But I was still on a video call and trying to play it cool. I was in shock. It’s not every day you win $800K!”

Kerry and her husband had been looking for a new family home for over a year. 

Their place no longer suited their growing family, but soaring property prices in Adelaide made it feel impossible.  

“At one point, it became more expensive than Melbourne. We just couldn’t find anything we could afford,” she said.

That all changed with Kerry’s Deaf Lottery win. 

Thanks to her prize, she and her husband have just purchased a brand new home for their family.  

“We move in at the end of August. It’s in a lovely area, and now we can finally give our son the space he’s been craving – a room he can call his own and really grow into.”
The win also allowed Kerry to plan another surprise – this time, for her kids.

“They think we’re going to Brisbane this school holidays to visit their grandmother. But really, we’re going to Italy. When we get to the airport, we’ll hand over the passports and tell them the truth. It’ll be a total shock!” 

“We haven’t told the kids how much we’ve won – we just said “more than $20,000,” and my daughter, she’s made a few guesses. Ever since then, both of them have been telling the neighbours, and now strangers stop me on the street to say congratulations.”
As for Kerry, the whirlwind hasn’t quite sunk in.  

“It still doesn’t feel real. I’ve been in the wars – broke my toe prepping the house for sale, had eye surgery – but I just keep thinking how lucky we are. I don’t even have to stress about planning Italy, because we’ve got a travel agent.”

When asked what motivated her to get tickets in the first place, Kerry said that her father lost his hearing as he got older, and she wanted to give back to help others going through the same thing.

“My dad is going deaf, and my mum ends up shouting all the time to communicate. That’s why I’ll keep buying tickets – even if I never win again. Because this win changed everything for us. And I know your services help people all over Australia.” 

“We’re so incredibly grateful. I still don’t have the right words. Just… thank you,” she said.
From all of us at Deaf Connect, we wish Kerry and her family all the best with their new home and next European adventure!  

To take your shot and support our Deaf community, grab your tickets today.