Real Winner Story: $3.2 million Prize Home winner owes it all to a life-long friendship

“We've known each other our whole lives. She's six weeks older than me and we grew up next door to each other, but she’s lived in Mapleton for 30-odd years now,” Sonia said.

“When I was working full time, I used to be a Star Supporter member. And every time a home came up, they would automatically take the money out, and then I used to email them to my girlfriend and say we'll be neighbours soon!” she laughed.

“Then when I retired, I stopped all the subscriptions, so I hadn't bought tickets in eighteen months – but then this house came up and we were having a look at it and I said to my husband, John, I might just buy a ticket.”

And as luck – or fate – would have it, one of the two tickets Sonia bought was drawn as the winner of Endeavour Foundation’s $3.2 Million Anniversary Prize Home, nestled amongst the hills of Maleny in the Sunshine Coast hinterland.

When Endeavour Foundation’s Head of Lotteries, Kirsty Moore, tried to call to share the amazing news, Sonia was at the hairdresser with her phone on silent.

“I had four missed calls and five messages,” she said.

“I’d walked next door into the supermarket to pick up a few things, and then I thought, ‘I really should go and call that number just in case’.”

When Sonia finally received the news from Kirsty, she couldn’t believe it.

“I just started to cry, and my hairdresser could see what was going on and was thinking, “She looks like she's crying happy tears,” Sonia explained.

“So, my hairdresser knew before my family!”

After sharing the news with her husband and children, Sonia’s childhood friend, Trish, was the next person she called.

“She doesn't swear very much, but I won't repeat what she said,” Sonia laughed.

“She was in tears and just kept saying, “I can't believe it's happened to you”

A few weeks later when handover day finally came and it was time to receive the keys, Sonia knew her friend had to be there to share in the moment.

“Trish needed to be part of it because she was the reason I started buying the tickets.”

“It was an extremely emotional day – it was magic, it really was. Everything Endeavour Foundation did was just fabulous. They didn't miss a beat from the time we arrived at the house. Every little detail was perfect, and my husband could barely speak – he was just emotional.”

After everyone left, Sonia and her family were left to explore their new home while also making good use of the goodies the Endeavour team had stocked for them.

“We had a swim, and we made jam sandwiches from the lovely food they left in the fridge,” she laughed.

Since then, Sonia has made the trip up to stay a few more times and fully take in all the lovely details the Prize Home design team have dotted around the home.

“My daughter and I have had a couple of weekends up there and we’re a bit into books, so we loved flicking through all the books around the home. My daughter was so excited – she's 53 and she was like a two-year-old in a lolly shop.”

“And we’re dog people too – we’ve got four dogs between us – so we loved the built-in dog bath.”

“I also took some friends up and we had a bit of a girly party weekend, which was wonderful, so we’ve got some lovely memories.”

While waiting for all the paperwork to be processed and the property title transfer, Sonia and her husband have had plenty of time to consider their options and whether they should keep the home or sell.

“It's given us time to seriously look at our lives, our kids’ lives, and our grandchildren's lives, and think about how to best utilise this fantastic prize that we’ve won.”

“If we were 30 years younger, we'd have loved to move up there, but we know we can’t keep it, so it’s going on the market.”

“Our life is too entrenched in Sydney, and we back our daughter up a lot with helping our grandchildren. Our daughter is still working so I step up and do what I can.”

“I feel blessed. I still can't believe it happened to us, but I know it has, and we're just so grateful,” Sonia said.

“And it's a great cause – we love giving back. We both do volunteer work, then with having grandkids with some health issues, and our daughter working with children with autism, we absolutely understand the significance of what Endeavour Foundation does.”

And while Sonia will be sad to say goodbye to their beautiful Maleny Prize Home, she knows that whoever is lucky enough to own it next will love it just as much.

“Whoever buys it will have fabulous neighbours. The neighbours have been so good to me – we even all went out to dinner, to the pub on the Saturday night while we were there. There’s no doubt that it’s a beautiful little community up there. Someone will love it!”

Ready to make your dreams come true, just like Sonia did? A single ticket could be all it takes to change your life forever. Whether you’re envisioning a stunning new home, financial freedom, or unforgettable moments with loved ones, the Endeavour Foundation Prize Home Lottery is your chance to turn those dreams into reality. Don’t wait—secure your tickets now and take the first step toward your own incredible story!