Considering he makes his living as a carpenter doing home renovations, it’s somewhat fitting that David Milligan is the grand prize winner of the Prince George Spruce Kings Show Home Lottery.
The 42-year-old Nanaimo resident was working on a job at Qualicum Beach when Show Home Lottery manager Liz Bennett made the call Friday at noon to tell him he’d won. At the time he was busy with his work and couldn’t answer Bennett’s call. When he called back he got Bennett’s voice mail. About a half-hour later she rang him again to confirm the good news.
“I was pretty excited, it is pretty exciting, that doesn’t happen every day,” he said. “I knew it was coming up but it wasn’t really in my mind that it was happening that day. I was talking to someone about something technical so I ignored the call when it came in first and it went to voice mail. A few minutes later I listened to my voice mail and it was like, I should have answered that.”
Stunned by the news, he kept it a secret from his co-workers.
“I didn’t tell anyone,” he said. “I phoned my dad later.
“It’s one of those things, you almost don’t believe it until you show up and get the keys to the house. I think it will sink in more when I find my way up there and look at it.”
Milligan saw an ad for the Show Home Lottery on his computer and on an impulse decided to buy a $125 ticket.
“It popped up on my Facebook feed, and it was like, why not,” he said. “I’m normally a lucky person and I like buying things like that because I always think I might win. I’ve always been kind of lucky with things.
Milligan is planning a trip to Prince George, possibly on the long weekend in May, to come and see his new house. He still doesn’t know what he will do with it. His fiancée works as a care facility nurse and neither of them would likely have any trouble finding jobs in the city if they decide to relocate, but he’s not considering that right now. He’s based in Vancouver, where he grew up, and owns a house in Nanaimo.
“By dad grew up in Prince George back in the 60s when his parents lived there for a while,” said Milligan, who visited the city as a young boy when he flew up with his parents to visit his uncle. “I just remember the airport and lots of trees.”
“I’m still open to different ideas now (about whether to keep it or sell it) because it’s still pretty new. I’m still too young to retire.
Milligan likes going to hockey games and tries to get to a few Canucks games every season. He hasn’t been to BCHL game for a few years but says he might have to go to one next season when the Spruce Kings make their annual trips through the Lower Mainland or Vancouver Island.
“I’ll have to get a Prince George jersey,” he said.
Built by Hopson Construction, the $757,000 house is located in the Aberdeen Glen subdivision in the north end of the city at 2828 Links Dr. The grand prize includes all furnishings and appliances. He’s seen the photos on the website.
“It new and it looks nice, it’s kind of hard to tell until you get there and actually look at it,” said Milligan.
The Show Home Lottery sold out and all 11,000 tickets were in the drum when Milligan’s lucky ticket was selected. Proceeds from the lottery will cover the community-owned Spruce Kings’ entire operating budget for next season. This was the 40th Show Home Lottery in the 50-year history of the team.
Matthew Czech of Port Coquitlam won the Spruce Kings Mega 50/50 Jackpot 2, a $150,000 payday.
