Ecstatic Bunbury Rotary Boat Raffle winner announced in time for Christmas

The winner of the Rotary Club of Bunbury Boat Raffle was ecstatic to be called and told he had won a boat just a week before Christmas.

Clayton Schmidt collected his prize on December 22 and plans to take it out fishing over the holiday season.

“I was really shocked, I hadn’t won anything like that before,” he said.

“It was one of those things I was just walking past it in a shopping centre thinking, ‘who really wins these things’ but I took a chance and was very shocked to win.”

The father of two and grandfather of eight loves camping fishing and the outdoors and said he was looking forward to getting his skippers ticket next week and that the new boat would be “adding more fun” to his life.

The Boat Raffle is the Rotary Club of Bunbury’s major annual fundraiser and this year raised about $27,000.

Proceeds will be distributed to causes around Bunbury such as Pregnancy Assistance and Food Bank and Rotary youth programs including Sail into Life, Youth Leadership Awards and Year Long Student Exchange.

Bunbury Senior Citizens and the Bunbury Men’s Shed assisted with the selling of the raffle tickets and received $1 for each $2 ticket they sold.

Boat Raffle co-ordinator Eric Turner said the Rotary Club of Bunbury raffle had been held since 1987 and prizes were chosen that would appeal to a wide range of people.

“There have been many loyal supporters allowing us to sell all the tickets this year,” he said.

For more than 15 years the boat for the raffle has been purchased from Bluewater Marine in Bunbury.

Bunbury Rotary president Marg Garrett said the club’s initiatives were usually driven by appeals and growing relationships with other clubs and community groups to create opportunities for the public to take part in.

“Thanks Greater Bunbury for your support and congratulations to our winner,” she said.