Chris Burness, his partner Alida van Bosch and MSWA chief executive Marcus Stafford.
Camera IconChris Burness, his partner Alida van Bosch and MSWA chief executive Marcus Stafford. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Greenwood couple wins MSWA Mega Home Lottery

Justin BianchiniWanneroo Times

IT was the phone call Chris Burness, of Greenwood, will never forget.

A call to tell him that he and his partner Alida had become multi-millionaires as the winners of a furnished, luxury $1.75 million Webb & Brown-Neaves show home in City Beach and $500,000 cash, courtesy of MSWA’s Mega Home Lottery.

“I was driving when the phone rang, so I had to pull over, and I heard the lady say something about MSWA lottery and I remembered that Alida had sent me a message to remind me that the lottery was being drawn today; I’d forgotten all about it,” Mr Burness said.

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“I thought I might have won a holiday, so it was quite a surprise to hear I’d won the house and the money. It still feels quite surreal.

“When I got home, I said to Alida, ‘I’ve got something to tell you’. I dropped my head a little because I felt a few tears coming out, and I said, ‘you know that lottery, we’ve won the house’.

“It’s life changing and we’re both so grateful but we believe that with a gift like this comes responsibilities. It won’t change who we are as people, I’ll still keep going to work.

“Only last week we were driving home from Kwinana when we passed by the home and I turned to Alida and said, welcome home love.”

MSWA chief executive Marcus Stafford said when he heard Chris and Alida’s story he could not think of a more deserving and down-to-earth couple.

“It’s a prize that’s changed their lives forever and I wish them all the best for the future,” he said.

“I’d like to thank them and everyone else who bought a ticket in the MSWA Mega Home Lottery because the money raised helps us to change the lives of people with multiple sclerosis and other neurological conditions.

“This year alone we’ve invested a record $2.6 million into research to help to find the cause and cure for MS and all other neurological conditions. We’re spending almost $8 million to build a 10-unit high-support accommodation facility, with a services hub adjacent in Butler.

“And in the not-too-distant future we’re looking to establish high-support accommodation facilities in Albany and Shenton Park. We’re also increasing the number of services we can provide to our Members, their families and carers. All this is made possible because of the generosity of the people of WA.”

And in a first for the MSWA Mega Home Lottery the early bird winner Lance Giannas has chosen to take the AGP house and land package worth $700,000 rather than the $600,000 cash.

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