John’s Win After a 45-Year Career

After 45 years spent helping others, John never expected to be the one receiving life-changing news.

As a medical administrator, he’s worked for many hospitals across Australia and the Middle East, helping deliver the best possible care to communities. 

So by 81 years old, John thought he had the rest of his life pretty well mapped out. 

That was, until he got a call from the Deaf Lottery. 

And one fateful morning in June, we had the pleasure of telling John he’d won the $800,000 in Lottery 230 – plus an extra $30,000 thanks to his ticket book! 

“I couldn't quite believe it at first,” he laughed.  

“When you guys called me, I was definitely still in shock.” 

A VIP since 2019, John had been giving to the Deaf Lottery every month, supporting services and initiatives for Deaf Australians.  

But even though his membership was over seven years old, the news still took some time to sink in – especially with his wife. 

“When I first told her – she definitely didn’t believe me. We’ve had some cyber security issues in the past – so she wanted to make sure it was all legitimate. But she did get excited when it became more real, and it was the same with my daughters,” he said.  

“They all had very strong opinions on what I should spend my winnings on!” 

John has already made plans for his prize, putting $30,000 towards home improvements and renovations, while investing the remainder in gold bullion. 

He and his wife, who are both passionate travellers, are hoping to visit Rome next year. 

“My wife is an Italian teacher – she's not Italian – but we have friends there,” John said.  

"We've done quite a lot of travelling over the years, and once things settle down, I'd certainly like to include Italy in our plans.” 

After a challenging time marked by health issues for both himself and his wife, John says the win will give them greater financial freedom. 

“I think winning the lottery will probably enable me fairly quickly to retire,” he said. “We were planning for that before, but it’s made things a lot easier.” 

John has supported the Deaf Lottery since 2019, inspired by both his connection to healthcare and his own experience using hearing aids. 

"I'm very grateful for the win, but I'm also grateful to support such a great cause," he said. 

From everyone at the Deaf Lottery, we wish John and his family all the best in their next chapter. 

If you want to get behind a great cause and increase your chances – grab your tickets today!