Australian man who won nearly $1 million in lottery gave it all away

Sep 14, 2021, 6:25 pm (22 comments)

International

"Do what you can to make somebody else's day a little bit brighter."

By Kate Northrop

A year after winning almost $1 million (US$731,905) in the Australian TattsLotto, one particular Aussie went on a selfless crusade to give it all away.

Thanks to a superstition, Peter Charleton, 47, of Yarra Ranges bought a TattsLotto lottery ticket in August 2020 that turned out to be the winner of a prize worth $896,511.13 (US$656,160.98). A year later, he's already given away most of the prize.

Back in 2020, the father had accidentally left his late uncle's favorite pocketknife on top of his car. He arrived home an hour later to discover that the knife had survived the entire trip, still sitting on the roof of the vehicle. In light of the miraculous luck, he took to social media to announce that he would be buying a few Lotto tickets.

Charleton bought three Quick Pick lottery tickets for a TattsLotto drawing. A few days later, he checked his numbers on the Lottery's mobile app. The first and second ticket he bought — no prize, but upon checking the third ticket, he was met with something he had never seen before.

"I scanned the third one, and it came up with something that I wasn't familiar with because it said 'you are a big winner' or a 'major winner' or something," he said in an interview with My Big Story.

Despite the confirmation that he had won nearly $1 million, he deleted the app, redownloaded it, and checked his numbers again. Sure enough, he was about to have hundreds of thousands of dollars come his way soon.

"It was a really good feeling," Charleton recalled.

During the tense 17 days he waited for the money to land in his bank account, he only revealed the win to his immediate family. However, he admitted that he had no desire to spend the money on himself and instead decided to take care of his family, friends, and the people in his community.

"I don't feel comfortable keeping all this money to myself, and so I didn't," he revealed. He said that he doesn't understand how multi-billionaires can continue to build on their wealth.

His first order of business was to take care of the bare necessities for himself, such as paying off his mortgage and buying a second-hand car. Then, he went on to help out family members and friends in need. After everyone close to him was taken care of, Charleton started showing up to local businesses, such as cafes, restaurants, and grocery stores, to pay for customers' food, sometimes putting down anywhere between $500 and $1,000 while saying "do with it as you please."

"I felt more comfortable knowing that I'd given it all away and done a few things for myself," the generous winner remarked. "I was messaging people on Facebook asking, 'Can I have your bank details? I want to send you some money...' I didn't tell the wider community that I'd won Lotto."

Charleton quipped that, since many people are growing accustomed to scammers approaching potential victims on social media asking for personal information, at times it was actually difficult to give the money away to random strangers who were immediately skeptical of his intentions.

A magazine featured Charleton in an article that was set to release about a month after his win, but he made it his goal to give all the winnings away before people realized he had won the lottery.

"My mission was to get rid of it all before people realized I'd won it," he explained.

All of this was made possible thanks to Charleton's superstitious reason for buying the winning lottery ticket in the first place.

Charleton had a close relationship with his late uncle, Charlie, for whom he cared for full-time when he was sick with chronic lung disease. The two had always played the lottery together, and his uncle was positive that they would win it one day.

Charlie passed away just two weeks before Charleton bought the winning ticket, prompted by the miracle he had witnessed with his uncle's pocketknife.

"Maybe, just maybe, Uncle Charlie pulled some strings on his way out," Charleton said thoughtfully.

Even prior to winning the huge prize, the winner was constantly looking for the next moment to make someone else's day brighter. He ran a small business that provided inflatable jumping castles for free at children's parties, purely motivated by seeing families happy. He also did gardening work for a woman struggling with depression.

"There's such a pleasure in being kind and being able to help people, and if you're in a position where you've got the money to do it, I think you're mad if you don't," Charleton remarked. "Do what you can to make somebody else's day a little bit brighter."

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Lottery Post Staff

Comments

billybucks

Not buying this story at all. No one would fall for that give me your banking information so he could deposit money into it scam. He gave away a few thousand dollars and is acting like he gave 95% of it away to prevent people from hounding him for money. It is the oldest lottery winner trick in the book to ward off the leeches.

rcbbuckeye's avatarrcbbuckeye

Quote: Originally posted by billybucks on Sep 14, 2021

Not buying this story at all. No one would fall for that give me your banking information so he could deposit money into it scam. He gave away a few thousand dollars and is acting like he gave 95% of it away to prevent people from hounding him for money. It is the oldest lottery winner trick in the book to ward off the leeches.

Gee, aren't you a shining light in a dark world.

Personally, I think he is a tremendous human being. He found happiness for himself being kind to others.

sully16's avatarsully16

Quote: Originally posted by rcbbuckeye on Sep 14, 2021

Gee, aren't you a shining light in a dark world.

Personally, I think he is a tremendous human being. He found happiness for himself being kind to others.

I Agree! Wishing him the very best life as to offer. 

noise-gate

" My MISSION was to get rid of it all before people realized l'd won it." 

That is the most screwed up " mission statement " l have heard so far this year.

Tony Numbers's avatarTony Numbers

Hope he put enough aside for a face transplant

noise-gate

Quote: Originally posted by noise-gate on Sep 15, 2021

" My MISSION was to get rid of it all before people realized l'd won it." 

That is the most screwed up " mission statement " l have heard so far this year.

..So you all for taking a page out of the  David Lee Edward's playbook?

* David, who managed to blow his entire fortune of millions in 5 years- Great!

rcbbuckeye's avatarrcbbuckeye

Quote: Originally posted by noise-gate on Sep 15, 2021

..So you all for taking a page out of the  David Lee Edward's playbook?

* David, who managed to blow his entire fortune of millions in 5 years- Great!

I think there is a difference between Edward and the Aussie. Edward just blew the money. The Aussie helped other people and bettered other people's lives. A noble thing to do. 

If I won the PB or MM, I like to think I would help others after taking care of my kids, but frankly talk is cheap and who knows how any one person (me included) would really react winning money like that.

noise-gate

Quote: Originally posted by rcbbuckeye on Sep 15, 2021

I think there is a difference between Edward and the Aussie. Edward just blew the money. The Aussie helped other people and bettered other people's lives. A noble thing to do. 

If I won the PB or MM, I like to think I would help others after taking care of my kids, but frankly talk is cheap and who knows how any one person (me included) would really react winning money like that.

* The forum is opinion based, so l gave my opinion, l am not knocking anyone else's opinion, but let's step back for a minute here. This guy plays, he wins, he deletes an app, then re installs it to make sure he is the winner. Then, in he's own words- makes it his mission to get RID of it all. That's A** backwards thinking.

 

* Edward's also had a mission, to make his wealth grow, but as you well know, he to " got rid of it." Sure it's comparing Apples to Oranges- but l focused on " Getting rid of it all" rcb. Let's hope we don't read of Peter being spotted standing in a soup kitchen line down the road. 

Bleudog101

Quote: Originally posted by noise-gate on Sep 15, 2021

" My MISSION was to get rid of it all before people realized l'd won it." 

That is the most screwed up " mission statement " l have heard so far this year.

I Agree!   Only if he blabbed being an anonymous country if he so desires.

noise-gate

Quote: Originally posted by Bleudog101 on Sep 15, 2021

I Agree!   Only if he blabbed being an anonymous country if he so desires.

* Careful Jeff, you don't want to agree with me under any circumstances, the natives become restless. It's saber rattling, but l thought l would give you a heads up.

* Thread softly..

fellini

off topic: The Powerball is $432 million and no one is talking about it. How big does the jackpot have to be for people to get excited?

Mata Garbo

Imagine taking someone you would like to impress  out on a date and they turn out to have "very, very" expensive tastes. And you are sitting there hoping you have enough to pay for everything and all of a sudden this guy shows up at the restaurant and hands you a thousand bucks and says "do with it as you please". Unexpected money is always the best money.

Yes NodCoolHiding Behind ComputerType

Bleudog101

Quote: Originally posted by fellini on Sep 15, 2021

off topic: The Powerball is $432 million and no one is talking about it. How big does the jackpot have to be for people to get excited?

IMHO it is called lottery fatigued.   Now $457 million.   I still remember when one of the big guys, think Powerball got sky high for the first time...I'm talking about astronomically high.  There were over 600 replies on LP about it and the fever kept up until it was won! 

Bleudog101

Quote: Originally posted by noise-gate on Sep 15, 2021

* Careful Jeff, you don't want to agree with me under any circumstances, the natives become restless. It's saber rattling, but l thought l would give you a heads up.

* Thread softly..

That's OK, let them beat on their drums or go swinging through the trees.

On a side note I think music*, Marty, from Fresno is no longer with us.   Last post in November and had sent him a few PM with no reply.  Miss talking with him, he Navy and me Army.

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