home | news l

Dream Time Lottery Win

By Mark Dowdney

19 June 2004 - Aboriginal great-gran Iris Curley thought life couldn't get any better after she bought her first home for £11,000 aged 64.

The mum of seven knew her pension would cover the three-bedroom prefab's mortgage in Australia's outback.

But now the payments should be a little easier to make - thanks to a £6million Powerball lottery win.

It gives new meaning to the word Dreamtime - the stories that define Aboriginal history and culture.

But widow Iris has no plans to leave her new home, purchased last month.

She said cheerfully: "I don't think I'll be moving. I always dreamed of buying a house and I bought a house and I'm satisfied with what I've got."

But she conceded it was bit short of furniture so she might treat herself to a new dining table and chairs.

"Oh, and one of the bedrooms needs a bed," she added. She landed the win in Meekatharra, a mining town with just 1,100 residents in the wilds of Western Australia, 400 miles from Perth.

She moved there after husband Les died in a car crash in 1972 and worked hard to raise their children alone.

She celebrated the windfall yesterday with most of her 25 grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren at the neat little home beside an Anglican church.

Locals, aware of how the new millionaire struggled to raise her children, said the win wouldn't change her.

And Iris's nephew Matthew confirmed: "This is where our tucker is."

His aunt favours kangaroo tail brawn or kangaroo leg stuffed with garlic, herbs and breadcrumbs. She also said her home provides the peace she wants.

Iris added: "You get to that stage when you need to be on your own."

Source: Daily Mirror (UK)

Further information: social justice issues page - includes news index and external links