'I can come home,' says Gander Bay man after $1M lotto win

A Gander Bay man says his $1 million lottery win means a lot of nice things — a boat and an overseas trip — but there is one luxury that’s hard to put a price tag on.

“I can come home,” says David Head.

The 51-year-old works up to eight months at a time in Fort McMurray, Alberta as a foreman with Aecon Mining, coming home to Newfoundland for a few weeks off.

But that’s all going to change, now that he’s a millionaire thanks to a Lotto 6/49 win.

“If I didn’t win the money I would have worked for another five years. Now, I can work for another month,” Head told reporters Wednesday during a cheque presentation at the Quality Inn Hotel in Gander.

Across the ocean

While he admits the win still “hasn’t struck home yet,” what a portion of his winnings will fund is becoming clearer.

“I’m going to pay off my truck, buy a boat and help out a few people in the family,” said Head.

And while Head is happy to be coming home, it won’t be too long before he and his wife, Darlene, board a plane again — not for work, but for pleasure.

“Later on this summer, we’re going to take a trip. We never, ever took a trip. So we’re planning on going to Scotland or Ireland.”