Walter Waselovich had just left church when he went with friends to check his Lotto Super 7 ticket at a St. Catharines variety store.
It was the Sunday before Christmas. And to his surprise, he had won – $30,000, he thought at first.
Then they put the ticket into the machine that verifies the numbers and it froze.
Turned out Waselovich, 63, had won $30 million, enough for the "happy dance" from a current lottery commercial.
"I won't dance for you," he joked to the media as he received his winnings yesterday at Toronto's Delta Chelsea Hotel. "But I'll tell jokes."
Waselovich, a retired teacher who worked for the Lincoln County Catholic School Board, said he couldn't wait to get back to his hometown because he found the streets of Toronto confusing.
"We're going back pretty soon – back to the simple life," he said as reporters peppered him with questions on plans for his $30 million.
Toronto won't have a big part in those plans, it seems, although he was happy about finding a store here where he could buy a calendar with his favourite hockey team – the Montreal Canadiens.
He wasn't sure what else he may buy with his winnings, except that he and his girlfriend will be heading south for a much-needed vacation in the sun. And he'll be helping out his mother and sister.
"They're in bigger shock than I am," he said.
He is also thinking of purchasing a new house, as well as some trinkets for his pet dog Baby, his cats Shadow and Arsenal, and his rabbit Thumper.
While a Habs fan, he is considering taking a friend of his, a diehard Leafs supporter, to a Maple Leafs game.
Waselovich plans to meet next week with a financial adviser, lawyer and accountant to begin planning what to do with his money.
The St. Catharines man has been a player since 1975, when the first national lottery was introduced to raise funds for the Montreal Olympics.
Devotedly he has kept buying tickets through the years and occasionally cashed in.
But until last month's bonanza, the most he ever won was $140.
And even though he's hit the jackpot, Waselovich plans to continue playing.
Calm and cool as he faced the media, Waselovich fielded questions with the expertise of a politician, deflecting some as being too personal and he'd prefer not to answer.
"It's great to be alive," he said. And his life will continue along familiar lines.
"I go to mass every Sunday. My parents brought me up that way ... I never pray for money. I pray for health, for my friends and for my friends who have passed away."
Leo (July 23 — Aug. 22)
Aggressively seeking the front of the queue is not always the most efficacious approach to achieving success. You have been bold enough, lately, to concede that in one particular area of life you've done all you can. Now let the magic do its work.
You can, if you like, play the psychoanalyst in an attempt to understand all that has lately transpired. Feelings are running high and objectivity is not yet available, but regardless of what has occurred, clarity will now start to emerge.
No comments:
Post a Comment