The following story is the 6th top article published to Swift Current Online in 2023; keep coming back as we unveil the rest of the lineup over the next week.
A Swift Current man is now $1 million richer... actually plus another $162,422.50.
Aaron Phoenix won the 50/50 for the STARS Lottery yesterday taking home just over $1.162 million in winnings.
The memorable phone call came from STARS in Regina in the morning and was quickly followed up by another from STARS in Saskatoon.
"I'd come home from helping out on the farm for a little bit and was settling in," he recalled. "I was kind of confused for a minute as to why STARS was phoning me because I had forgotten I purchased a ticket a while back. When they told me I was quite happy, and that was mixed with a little bit of disbelief.
"In this day in age [at first], I thought, is this a scam? Then when they started talking, I realized it wasn't."
The farmer and engineering consultant said most of the jackpot will be used for retirement by him and his wife but first perhaps they'll take a winter vacation they've been putting off since the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It really puts us in a position where retirement is a feasibility a little bit sooner than in the past, he remarked.
"I think if we plan properly, we can move forward our retirement life. My wife is a physical therapist in town."
Phoenix has been purchasing tickets for Hospital Home Lottery and more recently the STARS Lottery for the last several years. His biggest prize before striking the big windfall yesterday was a leaf blower.
"It's nice to actually have that come to fruition. Even though it is good to just be contributing to help support some of the medical services in the province."