The $15.5m call caught in the Telstra outage

Australia’s biggest home prize raffle has been won by a Geelong resident, but a nationwide Telstra outage delayed the life-changing phone call.

The 8 July outage affected calls across Australia, with Dream Home Art Union making three unsuccessful attempts to contact the winner, Riley*, before sending a text message and email advising she had won the $15.5 million major prize.

The package includes a four-storey apartment complex on the Sunshine Coast valued at $12 million.

About an hour later, Riley called back using her neighbour’s phone, allowing Dream Home Art Union general manager of lotteries Ben Sawkins to finally deliver the news.

Sawkins said it was the first time a phone network outage had prevented him from immediately telling someone they had won.

“What made it more real for me making the call was her neighbour’s reaction in the background. It’s very rare that you get somebody else there at the same time,” he said.

“[Riley] just couldn’t believe it; she was having what appeared to be a mild panic attack on the phone.

“When you get called and told you’re winning $15.5 million and it’s yours and your life is going to be changed forever, I think it’s really understandable.”

 

Proceeds from the raffle support Australian veterans and their families through RSL Queensland.

A former Royal Australian Navy member, Riley said she had been buying Dream Home Art Union tickets for more than 20 years to support veterans.

“It’s something so close to my heart so this is my little contribution,” she said.

Riley said she wanted to “be kind to people and do nice things” with her prize, including expanding her craft projects to support people’s mental health.

“I have started doing a lot of craft and I want to create things for people to help with mental health. This could just be the start of it all,” she said.

Sawkins said Riley had begun seeking financial advice, had shared the news with a small group of family and friends and was expected to inspect the Sunshine Coast property soon.

The $15.5 million prize package surpassed Dream Home Art Union’s previous record of $13.9 million, set in March.

 * Name changed for privacy