70 Years of Changing Lives

For 70 years, Mater Prize Home has been making dreams come true for wonderful supporters just like you. But how did we get here and where did it all begin? We’re turning back the hands of time to celebrate Mater Prize Home’s astonishing impact and humble beginnings. 

Let’s take a trip back to 1954 where it all started! 

The 1950s was a period of recovery for many Australians who were eager to leave behind the hardships of the 1940s. Cars were now affordable and the average salary ranged from 300 to 433 pounds per year. 

The first Mater Prize Home art union was created in 1954 to provide valuable funds for the construction of Mater Mothers' Hospital in South Brisbane. It was the first time a house, or any form of real estate, had been offered as a lottery prize in Queensland. 

Our first Mater Prize Home 

The home was located at Surfers Paradise in a brand new estate on Birt Avenue. The fully-furnished property featured two bedrooms, a kitchen, dining area, lounge room, laundry, and car port.  

The prize package also included cutting-edge appliances that many of us now take for granted: an electric hot water system, refrigerator, electric stove, and washing machine. 

Notably, the home did NOT include a TV. That's because television made its Australian debut two years later in 1956, just in time for the Melbourne Olympics! 

Tickets from just 10 shillings 

The entire prize package was valued at just £4,150. That’s around $175,000 by today’s standards… a far cry from the multimillion-dollar prize packages on offer today. 

For supporters who couldn’t visit the home on weekends, a physical model could be viewed at a showroom in Brisbane, allowing supporters to visualise the property before purchasing tickets. 

There were seven locations selling tickets across Brisbane, but the majority of tickets were purchased via mail using order forms and cash. Tickets were just 10 shillings! 

Thanks to funds raised, the Mater Mothers' Hospital was completed in 1960, fourteen years after plans were first developed. The campaign was a huge success and became the blueprint for the Mater Prize Home you know and love today. 

First ever winner!

The prize was won by a frock manufacturer from Melbourne. He and his wife spent a weekend in the home with friends shortly after the win was announced. 

And Mater Prize Home is still changing lives 70 years later! 

70 Prizes, 70 Chances to WIN! 

To celebrate 70 years changing people's lives with Mater Prize Home, we're giving YOU not one, not ten, but 70 opportunities to strike it lucky! 

Buy Mater Prize Home lottery No. 313 tickets before 11:59pm AEST on Thursday 20 June, and not only could you WIN a spectacular $3.7M Sunshine Coast prize package, you’ll also go in the draw for the chance to WIN part of an astounding prize pool worth over $177K! 

The more tickets you buy, the more chances you have to WIN! 

Find out how