Lottery win brings joy and sadness

Published: 10 July 2015

Winning the Heart Foundation Lottery on May 8 was particularly special for Betty Dix. 

On the day Betty Dix found out she’d won the Heart Foundation Lottery, the first person she wanted to tell was her mum.

“I think I just burst out laughing. And then I put down the phone and burst out crying. Then all I wanted to do was talk to my mum who died three years before – to the day.”

Winning first prize in the Lottery on the third anniversary of her mother’s passing made it even more special, Betty says.

“Mum and I were very close.”

Betty and her husband Trevor are now the proud owners of a gorgeous three-bedroom Jennian dream home in Whangamata, valued at $610,000. 

But it took some work to convince her family that she and Trevor had actually won.

“My husband didn’t believe me. My son told me not to be stupid and said it was a scam. We’re all still a bit overwhelmed.”

Even after receiving the keys and spending a few nights in their new fully-furnished home, Betty and Trevor were struggling to comprehend what had happened.

“When we left, we went around putting everything back the way it was when we walked in. It felt like we were walking out of someone else’s house.”

The couple, who are retired and have been married for nearly 60 years, started buying Lottery tickets way back in 1999 but they never expected to win.  

“We thought the Heart Foundation was worthy of support but for us it was more of a donation – that’s how we looked at it. Winning was just a real bonus,” Betty says.

“I’d like to say a huge thank you to the Heart Foundation and Jennian Homes for making such awesome prizes available.”

Betty has a pacemaker and Trevor has had open heart surgery so the Heart Foundation’s work fighting heart disease is important to them.

It’s hard to find more a deserving couple – they’ve raised six children (although, sadly, they lost one son in an accident) and fostered another 20 along the way.

“Some of our foster children we looked after for only a month, others for three to four years.”

Betty, who now volunteers at the St John shop in her home town of Mangawhai, wants the new holiday home to be a place of rest and relaxation for her children.

And of course, she and Trevor will no doubt spend plenty of time down there too.  

Tickets are now on sale for our latest Lottery, which gives you the chance to win more than half a million dollars’ worth of prizes, including a stunning Jennian dream home in Wanaka.

By purchasing a $15 ticket you’ll also help us make a difference for thousands of New Zealanders affected by heart disease.