Fifty locals. One new idea at Bingara Newsagency. And a phone call that set the town talking.
In April 1992, we decided to try something different with the popular $2 Jackpot lottery tickets. Instead of customers buying their usual single tickets, what if fifty people pooled their money and bought 500 tickets with consecutive numbers?
Each person put in $21.50, a tidy sum back then. We drew up a ledger, recorded the names and payments, bought the tickets and displayed the numbers. Then we waited.
At about nine o’clock on the morning of the draw, NSW Lotteries rang.
One of our tickets had won first prize: $100,000!
A little town with a very big story
The excitement spread quickly. By knock-off time, celebrations were being organised at the Sportsmans Hotel, and a Channel Seven news team had arrived to hear the story.
There was more to it than a lucky ticket. As I recount in the book, NSW Lotteries later confirmed that ours was the first syndicate of its kind in the state. Winning at the first attempt made it quite a news story.
With other prizes added, the total came to $102,110, shared among fifty local people from all walks of life.
My reaction at the time? “This is too easy! How long has this been going on?”
Of course, it was a remarkable stroke of luck, not a recipe for winning.
But who were the lucky fifty?
That’s the part I’m keeping up my sleeve.
Were your neighbours among them? Someone you worked with? A familiar face from the shops, the pub or down the street?
For some, the money meant a practical purchase. For others, it opened the door to something they had gone without for years. Which locals updated their cars? And who finally enjoyed a long-awaited holiday?
You’ll find a photograph of the winners, along with their names, in Bingara Our Town, Our People, Volume 1. Pick up a copy to discover the familiar faces behind this memorable win.
Our town, our people, our memories
To me, local history is about much more than dates and buildings. It’s about familiar faces, unexpected events and the stories we still enjoy telling years later.
This is one of those wonderful episodes in Bingara’s rich history, a day when fifty locals had something very special to celebrate.
If you have a connection with Bingara, or simply enjoy a good country-town story, my book is a chance to spend some time with Bingara the Gem of the New England and the people who have helped make it what it is.
Order your copy of Bingara Our Town, Our People, Volume 1 here, or call in and see us at Bingara Newsagency.
Do you remember the excitement in April 1992?
Rodney