When Robert Goertzen found out he won a whopping $21.9 million lottery jackpot, he pledged to keep showing up to work – and that’s exactly what he did Tuesday morning.
The 44-year-old heavy equipment instructor from Kelowna was back on the job just one day after collecting his oversized cheque from the B.C. Lottery Corporation.
He was on time, too, which meant waking up at 5 a.m.
“Made my breakfast and out the door, 5:40 on the road,” Goertzen said.
The same went for his girlfriend, Jobina Young, who works for the same company.
“It’s crazy, but we talked about it when we found out that we had the winning ticket that we were going to stay the same,” Young said. “Same is work.”
There are a lot of arrangements to be made when you win almost $22 million, but Goertzen isn’t letting that upset his regular routine.
Goertzen said his job – and his boss – helped him through tougher times, and he doesn’t intend to walk away from them.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m going to take longer holidays,” he said with a laugh. “That’ll happen. But I’m going to be here. This is my job.”
Goertzen purchased his Lotto 6/49 ticket from a local Superstore, and that’s where he confirmed he was the big winner on Sunday.
“I jumped up in the air," he said.
He does have a few plans for spending his fortune, which include paying off his debt, giving Young a Jeep, and providing his daughter with the best education money can buy.
He also plays to buy a new truck and build a house.
With a report from CTV Vancouver’s Kent Molgat
