PHOTO: Simon D’Souza and his fiancée Abi Hutchinson were among the lucky few who were able to purchase their package in Menangle. Photo: Quentin Jones
Simon D’Souza watched the screen with his heart in his mouth. He’d barely slept a wink the night before, fretting about what was to come, and now he felt his body tense with anxiety and anticipation.
The figure on the Zoom screen was plucking numbers from a barrel, but this draw was for more, much more than a random prize. The result of this would determine the entire future for Simon, his fiancée Abi Hutchinson and their children, Beau, 2, and one-year-old Amber.
“We knew there were 379 people in the draw but for only 31 lots of land,” Simon says. “So, we knew we’d be very lucky to get one, and I never win anything at things like that.”
“They took out the first 10 numbers, and nothing. Then the next 10 numbers … and yes! We were number 26! My jaw dropped and I thought, ‘Oh my God!”. I was at work, so I immediately phoned Abi at home. She was gobsmacked too. We were so excited!”
Welcome to buying land in the frenzied Sydney property market of 2021, a mission made even more frenetic by COVID-19.
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