Farmer’s $50 lottery buy turns to $12m win

Leonie and her husband Andrewwon the $12,091,091 worth of prizes from a Dream Home Art Union lottery draw.

When a lottery official called to tell Leonie she had won, she hung up the phone because she was busy feeding cattle with her granddaughter in a tractor.

She couldn’t believe it when they called back later to tell her the exciting news.

“I don’t believe it. We have worked so hard, often until two in the morning, and honestly, he is the hardest-working husband in the world,” Jenny said.

“$50,000 was an absolute treat but to win the lot, it’s just mind-blowing.”

The hardworking farmers’ lives changed on May 6, 2026 when theirwinning ticket, number 08313679, was drawn.

Leonie originally thought she had won $50,000 that she said she’d use to “give my husband a break because he works so hard”.

She said they would often work until 2am to keep the farm going and their lives had been defined by long hours where work always came first to keep their farming business running.

When asked if they would hang up their boots now that they’re instant millionaires, Leonie said they would continue planting the crops.

“We will never do that, we have to finish the job we started, that’s how we got here,” she said.

Leonie and Andrew are now the owners of a beachfront property on the Gold Coast, a harbourfront locality in Potts Point, Sydney and a modern retreat in Mount Martha overlooking Port Phillip Bay as well as $1m in gold bullion.

As a $50 ticket book buyer, she also won an additional $50,000 in gold.

They will now have the choice to live in one of the properties, spread their time between all three or pass one on to someone else, as two of very few people who can now choose between ocean, harbour or bay views.

Leonie had been a VIP member with Dream Home Art Union, a lottery draw that supports veterans and their families, since 2017.