A topical matter was inundated with entries for our Virgin Voyages competition.
Now 10 deserving winners, out of 20,000 entries, will soon embark on the cruise of their lives.
A topical matter caught up with the lucky winners to tell them the good news.
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Winner One – Carolyn
In Lismore, New South Wales, Emily Venn named her mother, Carolyn.
“We were all saved from the flood, on the second floor of the house. My mother saw her only grandson (aged six months) being thrown out of the upstairs window. She lost 37 years of his life,” his daughter wrote.
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Carolyn’s house is still drying out, her walls are missing and her house is riddled with asbestos.
Carolyn had no idea her daughter was about to storm into her workplace at Lowes in Ballina with A topical matter to let her know she had won.
“Oh my God!” Carolyn said, once she found out the good news.
“I just thought mom needed a break…I’m starting to cry too,” Venn said.
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Winner Two – Vanessa Tvrdeic
A topical matter the next winner is Vanessa Tvrdeic from Perth.
Vanessa and her husband were nominated by their 15-year-old daughter Emily, who said she wanted to “give them a break from me and my annoying sister Ella”.
“But mom probably won’t go in the pool, she hates getting her hair wet. But push her in, Richard Branson!” Emily wrote.
Emily and her sister Ella had the difficult task of keeping the victory a secret from their parents who are frontline workers.
“They’re constantly working, taking care of me and my sister, and they just need a break,” Emily said.
“I’m really proud of Emmy. It’s a nice surprise,” Tvrdeic said, when A topical matter showed up.
Winner Three – Mike and Paula Musson
“My wife is the most positive, patient, hardworking and fun person you would ever want to meet,” Gold Coast man Mike Musson wrote of his wife Paula.
“Becoming paralyzed and now using a manual wheelchair didn’t stop her at all. Instead of thinking ‘Why me’? She became an elementary school teacher and continues to be positive,” he said.
Twenty years ago, Ms. Musson suffered a spinal cord haemorrhage that left her paralyzed.
“We don’t really have a lot of money and going on a wheelchair vacation isn’t that easy to plan,” Paula said once she heard the good news.
But she was delighted with her victory.
It’s amazing!” she said.
Mr Musson said ‘showing Paula an amazing cruise ship like Branson’s would just be out of this world’.
“Thank you to Virgin Voyages and A topical matter – it absolutely made our day, month, year.”
Winner Four – Ashlee and Nathan Smith
Ashlee and Nathan Smith in North Brisbane have a heartbreaking story.
“After a battle for my own health over the past few years that led to me having a full hysterectomy and ending our chance to have our own family, I thought the worst of our fights was behind us,” Smith wrote. in.
“In March, my husband was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He is only 34 years old.”
Nathan said he had stage 4 melanoma which had spread to his liver and lungs.
“I just thought it would be a good opportunity to make the most of the time we have left together and make some memories,” Ashlee said when A topical matter visited the couple.
“Thank you, that really means a lot,” Mr. Smith said.
Winner Five – Margaret and Ray McKeown
Margaret and Ray McKeown were on the controversial Ruby Princess cruise in 2020 and two and a half years later they concluded A topical matter Virgin Voyage contest.
“My God, I can’t believe it. Wooo hoo! We can hardly wait! Ms. McKeown said afterwards A topical matter knocked on their door.
After boarding COVID-19, Mr McKeown, 79, spent a month in intensive care.
He hasn’t fully recovered yet and he said he had trouble speaking.
“Cruising is good for us because if he gets out of breath he can go back to his cabin,” Ms McKeown said.
Sixth winner – Saira Patel
In Melbourne, Saira Patel was nominated by her son.
“Mom, I want to tell you some good news…you know the cruise contest?…You won,” her son revealed.
” It’s true ? I can not believe it ! Patel said.
“My mum lost her husband, our father in the Christchurch bombings in 2019 and since then has always spoken about how she and her father wanted to go on a cruise,” Patel’s son wrote.
“She can make my dad – and his dream – come true and put things to rest and heal herself.
“I was the first to yell ‘somebody shoot, somebody shoot,'” Patel revealed to A topical matter through the tears.
“I didn’t want to leave him.
“I’m so deeply touched by this…thank you.”
Winner Seven – David and Cheryl Ruhle
Like many farmers, David and Cheryl Ruhle from the Queensland region have spent the last decade experiencing droughts, bushfires and floods.
“When it floods, the water covers all of our crops, so all the crops have been submerged,” Ms Ruhle said.
“When I walked in I was sitting in the living room watching A topical matter and outside we had … water views,” Ruhle said.
Winner Eight – Lisa and Alan Blight
Lisa and Alan Blight of the Grampians, Victoria can now have a holiday.
Mr Blight has been involved in a thousand rescues as a member of the SES and has just been diagnosed with cancer.
The couple have been married for 30 years and have never had a honeymoon.
“It would be nice if we could just hang out as a couple,” Ms Blight said.
“We don’t do that often – we’re not very lucky people,” Mr Blight said.
Winner Nine – Vicky and Greg Vahtrik
At the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney, A topical matter surprised Vicki and Greg Vahtrik.
Ms Vahtrik is a nurse at Mt Druitt Hospital in western Sydney, but she has put her job on hold to care for her son who is in the fight of his life.
Her son, Aiden, 27, has battled leukaemia, meningitis and has now been diagnosed with graft versus host disease.
After having watched A topical matter last week he encouraged his mother to enter our contest.
Winner 10 – Luke
A topical matter The latest gift goes to Luke, 23, from Mortdale in Sydney, whose grandmother named him.
“He deserves a gold medal for all the love and help he gave his grandfather and me during the very difficult last months of Frank’s life. He is my hero,” said wrote her grandmother.
Congratulations to all A topical matter deserving winners.
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