Not even $5 million could entice Allan Mything from his farm.
“I’ve spent all my life here,” said the farmer from Climax, in southwestern Saskatchewan. “We never had any money, but we sure had a lot of fun.”
It’s home.
Nearly a year after winning a Lotto 6/49 jackpot of $5,383,245.70, another $2,210.30 on a ticket with five out of six winning numbers and four prizes of $10 for tickets with three of the six numbers, Mything contents himself with his cattle and his land.
“It would be pretty tough to get a job at my age,” he joked. “If you quit (farming) then you might die.”
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But his tone quickly becomes serious.
“What would I do? I don’t think we were meant to retire, we were meant to be productive, even if it means volunteer work.”
Mything was 67 when he won his big prize last April 23. The win made him the third largest Lotto 6/49 winner in the province. He spent $12 on tickets, and chose the winning combination through a process of elimination. Mything said he has often wondered why he was the only winner for that draw.
But life since he became a multi-millionaire hasn’t changed much, the bachelor said. He seeded about 1,000 acres last spring and thinks he might get some chickens this year.
“My friends are still the same,” he said. “I bought some machinery. I invested some. I’ve had a lot of debts cleared.”
Mything is especially pleased with a new tractor and front-end loader he bought to feed his herd of 40 cows and some heifers.
“I’ve never had anything so nice,” he said.
He shared some of his money with family, churches and other charitable organizations.
He also received numerous requests for money from people and organizations he doesn’t know, most of them from Saskatchewan and most through the mail. Mything said he is sympathetic to other people’s situations, but he can’t help everybody.
The more common dreams of traveling to warmer climates over winter hold no appeal for Mything.
“I like the climate here,” he said. “The weather here is a healthy climate – if it doesn’t kill you.”
