Colour Me Happy: Hairdresser’s Life Transformed With $1.3 Million Win

When you get up each morning, you never know exactly how your day is going to go.

The day Marjory found out she was the winner of Endeavour Foundation’s Little Mountain Prize Home started like any other.

Scottish-born Marjory, a hairdresser, was at work in the salon when she received the news that her life had changed forever.

“I was with a client putting a colour on, so I had my gloves on and everything, when I got the call.”

“When they told me I had won, I didn’t believe them. I said, “I have to authenticate this; you could be a prank caller or anything!”

“So, then I got the other girl who works with me to grab the iPad and then we realised it wasn’t a prank and the three of us were jumping up and down,” Marjory said.

Once she had the chance to catch her breath, the first people Marjory wanted to tell were her family.

“I rang my husband, my daughter and my mother,” she said.

When her shocked loved-ones heard the amazing news, “there were a few little swear words here and there!” Marjory laughed.

The $1.3 million prize that Marjory can now call home is a spectacular four bedroom, architecturally-designed house perched atop Little Mountain on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.

Just ten minutes from the beach, the home has been purpose-built by Endeavour Foundation to capture the site’s sweeping views all the way from Mount Coolum to Kings Beach.

“You look over to your left and you can see mountains but straight in front of you, when you go out to the outdoor area, you can see the ocean,” Marjory said.

Marjory’s 11-year-old grandson has even been having fun “ship spotting”.

“And just recently with a bit of rain around it’s been quite spectacular watching storms come in from the coast,” Marjory said.

It’s no surprise then, that Marjory’s favourite part of her new home is the breezy indoor/outdoor living space “because that’s where everybody is.”

“I love the pool because I love being outdoors and the view there is spectacular – I just love sitting out there.

Marjory’s four grandkids agree that the pool is the place to be.

“The children love it. They all love the water so it’s perfect for them,” she said.

The home’s impressive, cinema-like media room is also a big plus for the kids.

“The eldest can’t wait to put his x-box in there,” she said.

Marjory’s young grandchildren are the reason she bought that winning ticket in Endeavour Foundation’s Prize Home lottery in the first place.

“I support Endeavour because three of the four children have autism and one of them has cerebral palsy as well.”

“One of my grandsons goes to a special school and Endeavour has a bit to do there with different things at the school, and the eldest one has a little bit of difficulty intellectually so I’m sure as he gets older he will probably be using Endeavour’s services.”

Marjory’s win has also enabled her to buy a townhouse for her daughter and grandchildren, so that they have a permanent home.

“That’s a big weight off my mind, so none of us will have to keep moving with rentals,” Marjory said.

“That was the first thing I wanted to do – to see how I could help them – that was really important to me.”

Marjory is now preparing to make the move to Little Mountain and by the end of January she will be living there full-time.

“I love the Sunshine Coast so it’s perfect,” she said.

“I really like Kings Beach so it’s great that it’s near there.”

Marjory has already been up to visit a few times, but she’s yet to properly explore the Little Mountain area – mostly because she can’t tear herself away from her new home.

“Every weekend I’ve gone up there I’ve just stayed at the house!”

Marjory, a long-term supporter of Endeavour Foundation, purchased her winning tickets online. Rather than just buying one ticket, Marjory decided to improve her odds by buying a ticket bundle.

“I had the four tickets for $30,” she said, not even imagining at the time that she would see an amazing $1.3 million return on her investment.

When asked what her message would be to those considering buying a ticket, Marjory said:

“The most important thing is that Endeavour is a really worthwhile organisation to contribute to and help.”

“And if you don’t buy a ticket, you’ll never be in that position where you can look at those gorgeous views and sit back and feel grateful.”

Your chance to make a lot of people happy… including you.

Support Endeavour Foundation by buying a ticket or few in the next Prize Home lottery and you’ll be helping to bring possibilities and joy to people with intellectual disability. Not only will you feel happy that you’ve helped a worthy cause but if you’re drawn as the lucky winner, you’re guaranteed to have an extra big smile on your face. It’s a win/win whichever way you look at it!

Take a virtual tour of our next Prize Home (just so you know what you might be sitting on) or buy your tickets now and imagine what’s possible.

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