Rotary Club of Mooroopna president Richard Speedy with raffle winner Sue Cahill in front of her new Kia Stonic.
Photo by
Djembe Archibald
For Sue Cahill, it was either a big end to 2024 or a great way to start 2025.
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Either way, this New Year’s Eve brought a flurry of excitement when Ms Cahill won the annual Rotary Club of Mooroopna raffle, becoming the lucky recipient of a new Kia Stonic.
When she heard the news, Ms Cahill said she was shocked.
“It was actually hard to believe,” she said.
Sue Cahill tests out her brand new car.
Photo by
Djembe Archibald
Every year, Ms Cahill buys tickets for the raffle, but she never expected to win.
“It feels like a donation,” she said.
“In the back of your mind, you think ‘I really do hope I win this.’”
But Ms Cahill never expected her hopes to pan out.
She can’t remember ever winning a raffle before, and definitely not one of this magnitude.
This year, Ms Cahill was a little late in buying her Rotary tickets.
She got the very last ones in the book her boss was selling.
“I bought the last three and never thought about it again,” she said.
That’s until she got a call on New Year’s Eve informing her that she’d won the car.
Now, Ms Cahill feels very grateful.
“It’s the gratitude of being able to win something this significant,” she said.
Ms Cahill wants to extend a big thank you to the Rotary Club of Mooroopna and Kia.
Her message to others is simple.
“You’ve got to be in it to win it,” she said.
“For those who don’t win, it’s a donation to charity.”
This year, the raffle raised about $92,000 to support charity projects both local and international.
Rotary Club of Mooroopna president and car raffle co-ordinator Richard Speedy said the funds went to clubs across the region and supported a vast range of charitable works.
Those include scholarships for children, FoodShare and the eradication of polio.
Mr Speedy said he understood that many people, like Ms Cahill, viewed their ticket purchases as a donation.
“Just a great big thanks to people who have purchased tickets for years and years and not won,” he said.
As for Ms Cahill, she said she would definitely be buying tickets in the raffle again next year.
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