THE WELLINGTON WINNER

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 15 April 1939, Page 8

THE WELLINGTON WINNER

"192903, second prize of £IOOO to--.* The announcer at the drawing of th® “Grand Sports” art union in Wellington last evening, hesitated. “Fleabite.” supplied an elderly man in the audience. “It’s all right, he’* here,” he added. “What is the name?” asked the announcer. “Dingwall.” “He’s right; it is. too.” agreed th® announcer. Mr W. Dingwall. Gordon Avenue., Johnsonville, who has been following the numbers as they were drawn, carefully replaced in his pocket the ticket, which is worth £SOO to him snd £SOO to Miss E. Bunce, who contributed !* 3d toward the cost of the ticket. Mr Dingwall is a widower, aged f*. with three married children and 11 grandchildren. Interviewed, he said that he had taken a ticket in nearly every art union, but had not previously won a prize. He had attended the la*t two drawings out of curiosity. “I brought my ticket, as I always do, from an old lady on Lambton Quay.* he said. “And I promised her a new hat if I won." Mr Dingwall said that half the prize belonged to Miss Bruce, who came from Auckland, but was at present staying with his daughter in Johnsonville.

He added that he had suffered sevely in the depression and his share of the money would be a God-send.

He intended to go to Australia I® look for a brother, who left New Zealand 45 years ago. and from whom he had not heard for 20 years. “I h*v® also one or two friends I want to help.” he said, “and when it is all divided up there won't be much left.”

Mr Dingwall had only one ticket. “One at a time is good fishing,” he said. He was determined that his number should begin with the figure one, because he believed that most of the prize-winning tickets began in that way. The choice of name. “Fleabite.” was made on account of a recent plague of fleas.