Chch man a winner

Press, 6 December 1989, Page 21

Chch man a winner

Raoul Neave, a 31-year-old Christchurch solicitor, is the latest “Sale of the Century” winner, scooping $91,816 in cash and prizes.

Along with Cliff Stockwell, a broadcaster from Whakatane, who won in April, Neave has equalled the record for the highest score in any one programme — 141 points. Unlike Cliff Stockwell, however, he will not qualify for appearing in the New Zealand/Australia Challenge which begins screening on January 1 because he missed the final eligibility date, October 10 (recording date).

Neave’s prizes include a lawn tractor ($3296), outdoor furniture ($4410), a personal computer ($7048), a trip to Los Angeles ($12,232), a fibreglass swimming pool ($15,000), and a white Mitsubishi Mirage threedoor valued at $25,195. “I’ll definitely be keeping the car,” he said, shortly after his win. “I don’t know about the mower, though, not with a pool. I haven’t worked it all out yet, it’s a bit unreal. I guess it won’t sink in until the goodies arrive home."

Unlike most of the “Sale of the Century” contestants, Raoul Neave was not a nervous wreck during filming.

“The programme makers told me to beware of fatigue, but I didn’t feel it at all. I felt calmer as I went along, I guess it’s because I’m used to being in a courtroom.

“I felt more nervous in the two weeks before filming, when I was in court with a difficult case.”

Straight after his win, which was filmed in Wellington a few weeks ago, Neave flew back to Christchurch in order not to miss his usual Tuesday night bridge club meeting. Bridge is one of several hobbies Neave enjoys. He also likes playing Trivial Pursuit — but his reputation for having a wide general knowledge means he sometimes has difficulty finding Someone to play against.

“I also enjoy reading history books and English novels. Lately I’ve been reading ‘Pride and Prejudice’ for the twelfth time — it helps to calm me down,” he says.