This year yourtown marks 60 years of creating brighter futures. To celebrate, we’ve been going through the archives to see what 60 years of Art Unions looks like.
Not just a Datsun
When in 1977 South Australia’s Bert Windsor won a Datsun 180B in the then BoysTown Art Union, his life changed forever.
A father of six, he had never owned a car because he could not afford one. He rode an old bicycle to work and rarely went anywhere else.
Winning a car changed everything.
Although a bit of a tight squeeze, the Datsun had limousine status in the Windsor family.
It meant the family could visit friends who lived further than ‘just down the road’ and also made the occasional holiday possible.
A young Bert Windsor of the Australian Army's 9th Battalion and the ad that changed his life
Bert also believed in getting value for money.
Sadly, he passed away in 2002, but according to his niece Christine, he drove the Datsun until he could drive no more.
“One of my lasting memories is of him with his car and how proud he was of it,” she said.
“He only sold it in the late 90s when for health reasons he had to give up driving. He hated to give it up. I think it gave him an independence he thought he’d never have.”
Bert’s lottery ticket cost him 50 cents.
Fifty cents for a car that lasted him 20 years was a good investment. But the change it made to the lives of the Windsor family was priceless.
60 years of changing lives
yourtown’s Art Unions are synonymous with luxury Prize Homes and prestige Car Draws.
In 1961, we launched our first ever Art Union – with two shillings getting supporters a ticket to win one of four Holden EK Hydra-matics, valued at £1,000 each.
Over the years a wide range of prizes have been offered up - from sewing machines to horses. But it was in 1982, when the first ever Prize Home tickets were sold, that we entered a new era for our lotteries.
Your support over the years has made all the difference.
Not only is it a chance for you to win, it’s also a chance to help make a difference in the lives of young people, with our Art Unions the primary source of income for many of our services.
By donating or buying a ticket in our Prize Home Draws, you're supporting services such as Kids Helpline, Parentline, training and employment services for young people, parent education and specialist accommodation.
About yourtown...
We’re a community funded organisation that tackles issues like youth unemployment and mental health, and takes on issues like domestic and family violence.
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