How Sydney mum’s $107 million Powerball win changed her life

The Aussie nurse took home a record-breaking amount of money when she scored the lotto jackpot. This is how it changed her life.

A Sydney mum, who won a record-breaking $107 million prize in Powerball, catapulting her into the history books as Australia’s biggest individual lottery winner, is still working despite her millionaire status.

The mum in her 40s shocked the nation when she declared on the night of the historic draw that she’d be showing up to work the very next day – and she hasn’t given up work since her win in January 2019.

“I don’t know why people were so shocked,” she told an official from The Lott recently.

“I’m still working and my husband is also still working. We both love our jobs.”

So what has the millionaire been spending her money on? It turns out big splurges aren’t her thing, but instead she has been indulging in small luxuries, including regularly buying fresh flowers and upgrading from cheap chardonnay.

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Fresh flowers are one of the luxuries the Sydney nurse likes to have in her house. Picture: Supplied

The down-to-earth mum is still happily cleaning the house and doing the grocery shopping,

but confessed there was one chore she didn’t think twice about ditching.

“I’ve never been one for ironing. Now I do have someone who does the ironing for me and that’s been invaluable,” she laughed.

But the couple revealed that the prize had made them feel “incredibly privileged” by allowing them to create a legacy that would continue far beyond their lifetimes.

“In those weeks after our win, I walked down the street and I knew that just about every second person bought a ticket into the draw, and I know that I won their $10 or $15 and that really resonated with me. Paying it forward is really important to us because if you change one person’s life, you have the potential to change the whole community,” she said.

“We have already made some really important donations, and we’re always thinking a lot about what we want to support next. We watch the news and we read the papers, and we literally keep a notebook of causes we know we want to help on a grassroots level.”

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They have also used the money for travelling and buying a new home. Picture: iStock

They Sydney nurse said they also purchased a family home, which they plan to keep for generations to come.

“That’s something that I’ve always dreamt of and every time I walk into my beautiful home is a pinch-me moment. Every time I come home and I remember that this is my house and I never have to move my family is something that I will never take for granted,” she said.

“And seeing the relief on my husband’s face. We’ve both worked so hard for so long, and to never have that financial stress, to be able to take that away from him, that is just priceless.”

This week’s Powerball jackpot hits $60 million: Picture: Supplied by The Lott

Other ways she loves to indulge is via books and travel.

“I love books and to be able to go into a bookshop and buy whatever book I want is amazing. It’s things like that that I don’t take for granted,” she said.

“I can buy a nicer bottle of wine now, after celebrating with a cheap bottle of chardonnay!

“And having the ability to travel with the children is incredible. We never thought we’d be able to afford to do that. It was always out of reach for us, so to have those memories is priceless.”

This Thursday, the Powerball jackpot hits a massive $60 million as the prize has failed to go off for weeks.

In 2020, 14 Powerball division one winners across Australia pocketed more than $470 million in prize money.