Establishing a holiday home in Deniliquin takes a little bit of investment.
And for Debra and Brendan Flenley, that has meant becoming regulars at one particular local business over the last two weeks.
The decision to purchase items for their new ‘home’ from Deniliquin Betta Home Living has earned the pair a little bonus, with one of Debra’s Golden Bunny Bonanza entry tickets plucked from the barrel on Friday afternoon.
So she now has a $100 Why Leave Town local gift card with which to buy more items for the cabin, which she said would likely be spent on a new toaster.
The Flenleys are from the Bacchus Marsh area, and recently purchased a cabin at Pioneer Tourist Park.
Mrs Flenley became the third member of her family to do so.
“My sister Linda Stewart and her husband came to Deniliquin and got a holiday cabin at the park first,” Debra said.
“My other sister, Christine Moore and her partner John came to visit her and, tired of the cold in Ballarat, noticed a cabin was for sale and bought it.
“They live there permanently now, and now we’ve bought a cabin too.”
While Debra and Brendan have bought a few surplus items from home to furnish the new cabin, some things they had to buy brand new.
They have a number of tickets in the entry barrel after purchasing a new lounge suite and a television from Betta, as well as a new kettle.
“Christina and John recommended we pop in to Betta, and Simon (co-owner Simon Genoff) has been a great help,” Mrs Flenley said.
The Golden Bunny Bonanza is a Deniliquin Pastoral Times initiative, supported by the Deniliquin Business Chamber and other local businesses.
Pastoral Times general manager Leesa Muir said it was nice to welcome someone new to the town with the prize, and encouraged locals and visitors alike to get shopping and get their tickets in.
“Our total prize pool this year is $5500,” she said.
“We’ve already given away two $100 vouchers, and we have another three to give away in the next three weeks.
“Following that, on December 20, we have three major prize draws - one worth $500, one for $1500 and the grand prize of $3000.
“Any of these vouchers would be handy in the lead up to Christmas, and of course, it means even more money flowing through our businesses and keeping our community thriving.”
Mr Genoff praised the Golden Bunny Bonanza for incentivising shopping locally.
“When you shop local, you support local businesses, which can then employ local people,” Mr Genoff said.
“It’s a great opportunity to give back to your community, and you could potentially win something too.”
To be in the running for one or more of these prizes, all you have to do is support our local businesses.
Shoppers are rewarded for every $20 spent at a participating business, up to a maximum of 10 tickets per transaction.
So get spending, fill out those tickets and return them to entry boxes at the participating businesses before noon each Friday.
All undrawn tickets will remain in the barrel for the life of the promotion.
For more information about the Golden Bunny Bonanza, and for a list of participating businesses, turn to page 12.