CORNER BROOK, N.L. — No one anticipated 11 months ago the ace would still be in the deck.
But that’s how long it took for Corner Brook Royal Canadian Legion’s most recent Chase the Ace draw to conclude.
The draw started all the way back on Jan 10. Forty-seven weeks passed and 47 cards were drawn before the ace of spades finally appeared.
Shelly Hamlyn was the lucky winner, picking the card and taking home the jackpot of $39,517, plus a consolation prize of about $4,000.
She’ll be splitting her winnings 50/50 with her friend, Isabel Gillis.
Shelly never expected her ticket to be drawn, given how many tickets had been sold.
When she picked the ace of spades, she was elated.
She’ll be using her winnings to pay for her annual trip to Florida and to replace the roof on her home.
“It’s a nice bonus, but it goes fast,” she told The Western Star.
She called it a nice Christmas gift.
Meanwhile, Gillis said she hasn’t thought about it much, but added her grandchildren will certainly be getting bigger Christmas gifts this year.
She added it will definitely help her and her husband in their retirement.
It was the fifth Chase the Ace the legion has held. The prior draws were short running, with the longest having seen 26 cards drawn.
In the process, approximately $60,000 was raised for the Corner Brook Legion's coffers.
Derek Hamlyn, president of the Royal Canadian Legion Corner Brook Branch 13, said they’ll probably take a break and wait a few weeks before having another Chase the Ace, perhaps in the new year.
