Home Lottery 2012

In February this year, Lynne Welsh lost her dad (83) after three months in palliative care. When Lynne arrived home from Hospital that sad day, her Home Lottery tickets had arrived in the mail.

Instead of buying one ticket which has been her habit, this time she bought the five-pack tickets. “The care for my dad at The Royal Melbourne Hospital over those long three long months had been fantastic. I very much wanted to buy extra tickets to say thanks to the Hospital,” says Lynne.

And one of those was the winning ticket!

Now Lynne is moving to North Balwyn, to live in the dream new home she won in the May 2012 Lifestyle Home Lottery draw.

“I couldn’t believe I had won the home, even when I saw my name on Channel 9. My son rang me from overseas, because his friends had seen me win, says Lynne, my son and daughter are absolutely over the moon.”

It’s such a magnificent home, we are moving straight in. I have lived in Sunbury for 30 years and now it’s time for a change. It will be a big step to say ‘goodbye’ but we have been lucky enough to win it so we are going to experience it.”

Lynne has been a Receptionist at a Community Health Centre and when she won the home she promptly resigned from her job. ‘I am going to miss the people,’ she says, ‘but it is a new life for us now’.
"Congratulations Lynne on winning your dream home!"

“It’s a totally superb car, there is no doubt about that,” says Mathew Lamsis, 42, the winner of the Aston Martin Early Bird lottery prize in September 2011.

“The day I got the news about winning this luxury vehicle was a huge day for us. First there was the shock, and then suddenly there must have been 30 family and friends at our place that night. It certainly was memorable”, he says.

Mathew, a Property Caretaker who runs his own franchised business and buys a ticket every year.  Mathew had not spent too much time dreaming about walking away with an expensive prize but was estatic with his win!

“Driving a car like this was something else again. The Aston Martin was very different from the work van I drive to get me from A to B each day during the working week”, says Mathew, it’s been a wonderful experience.”

If you win a prize, any prize, you have to be excited about The Royal Melbourne Hospital Home Lottery. With a 1 in 25 chance of winning so many amazing prizes, our Home Lottery has many happy winners!

The lottery doesn't just have prize winners - the Hospital and patients are also winners. Thanks to the loyalty of our Home Lottery supporters - since 2005:

 •  Over $1.5 million of state-of-the-art medical equipment has been funded
 •  Over $5 million dollars in critical medical research and positions has been invested
 •  Over $1 million in efficiencies to upgrade our level of care has been introduced
 •  Contributed over $2 million dollars to major Hospital renovation projects

and the list goes on...

All the funds from the Home Lotteries have allowed the Hospital to do a great deal for today and tomorrow.

Your support is helping to save lives.

Every year the Home Lottery funds a series of research grants, supporting our medical teams to undertake research that will benefit our patients care. In 2011 nine researchers received grants between $25,000 and $100,000 to support their research projects.

Dr Benjamin Cowie is one of our researchers who received a $25,000 2011 Home Lottery grant.  Dr Cowie is an Infectious Diseases Physician with the Victorian Infectious Diseases Service at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and his study was into liver cancer which is increasing rapidly in Australia. Most primary liver cancer is hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which is predominantly caused by viral hepatitis, especially hepatitis B. In fact, the hepatitis B virus is the second most common cancer causing agent known, after tobacco, and hepatitis B is in the top 10 causes of human death worldwide.

Ben’s study outcomes will help focus health education, hepatitis treatment and liver cancer detection programs in Victoria, leading to more efficient and effective public health interventions, with the objective of reducing the number of people who die from liver cancer every year - and that is good news.

Popular radio personality, David Mann, says 3AW is proud of its close relationship with The Royal Melbourne Hospital. Now David Mann is a Royal Melbourne Hospital Ambassador and delighted to be so.

“I love the people at the Royal Melbourne,” says David, “and I think their attitudes are great. I have met some inspiring people through our work on the Home Lottery and now, being an Ambassador, is icing on the cake.”

David Mann has personally experienced the level of care that is commonplace throughout the Hospital.

David was rushed in for urgent gall bladder surgery, which was a complete success and David was back on-air at 3AW within 24 hours.

“I have been very grateful ever since” he says. “In fact, I was so impressed with my Royal Melbourne surgeon that I recommended him for an Award - which he received. I am happy to do whatever I can to support this wonderful cause.”