26-year-old Aussie who won an island resort in a $49 raffle is 'overwhelmed with excitement'

A 26-year-old man from NSW who won an island resort in a $49 raffle says he bought the winning ticket on his lunch breaks and is "overwhelmed with excitement" to start his new life there.

The man, who is known only as Joshua, will now become the proud owner of the 16-bedroom Kosrae Nautilus Resort on the tiny island of Kosrae after the resort owners Doug and Sally Beitz decided to raffle it off in the hope of returning to Australia.

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"I am overwhelmed with excitement to embark on this unique experience to own and run the Kosrae Nautilus Resort on the Micronesian island of Kosrae," Joshua said in a statement.

"What started with simple click of a news article during my lunch break that peaked my interest has resulted in a life changing experience that I could only dream of.

"I would like to thank Doug and Sally and the whole Beitz family for providing this amazing opportunity and am looking forward to cutting through the red tape, making a trip to the resort to see what paradise looks like to experience all that the resort has to offer.

"I look forward to working with Doug, his family and the amazing staff to learn the ins and outs of the business and to continue its success long into the future."

In 1994, Doug and Sally Beitz, who both hail from the Gold Coast, were stuck in the corporate rat-race and felt uninspired by their nine-to-five lives.

After seeing a travel documentary on the West Pacific region of Micronesia they felt drawn to its natural beauty and took a huge risk to quit their jobs and move there to build their own holiday resort, Kosrae Nautilus Resort on the tiny island of Kosrae.

20 years later, Doug and Sally’s children have all grown up and are having babies of their own and now the couple are eager to move back to Australia, deciding to offer their paradise resort as first-prize in a raffle, allowing one lucky winner their own piece of paradise for only US$49.

Over the last twenty plus years they’ve returned to the mainland for weddings and the arrival of new family members and now Doug says they're ready to go back for good.

“We have four boys, and three years ago one of them gave us a beautiful granddaughter," he said.

"She lived here for a year and we got to enjoy her every day. Then, when she left, we were just heartbroken. Sally particularly feels the tug on her heartstrings to be closer to our little angel and any other grandchildren that come along.

“We’ve had our time in the sun and enjoyed a career most people would never even dare dream about, but our current goal now is to become professional grandparents. We feel like a new chapter in our lives is beginning, and we’re ready to pass the baton to someone else."

Rather than sell the resort to a developer, they came up with the unique idea of offering it as a raffle prize.

“The idea to transfer the resort and dive business this way, rather than through a traditional sale, is because we want this piece of untouched paradise placed in the hands of someone who truly falls in love with it, someone who has dreamed of island life and who will continue to respect the island's precious ecosystem, not simply the person with the deepest pockets,” Doug said.

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“We’ve had our time in the sun and enjoyed a career most people only dream about, but our current goal now is to become professional grandparents. We feel like a new chapter in our lives is beginning, and we’re ready to pass the baton to someone else.”

As for his advice to the lucky winner of the Win The Island Estates draw, Doug says: “Your life is about to change in a very special way.

“Life feels like a perpetual holiday when you live on an island."

According to Win the Island Estates website, included in the prize is the "debt-free" Nautilus Scuba Dive Operation business, which is currently owned by Doug and Sally, a private waterfront home, private beach, 16 hotel rooms, two self-contained long-term apartments, eight motor vehicles and two purpose-built dive boats.

The Win the Island Estates draw took place on 26th July 2016 and was open to anyone worldwide.

Individual tickets were US$49.00 and packs of 10 tickets and images sold for US$349.00.

However, of course, there was a slight catch.

According to the raffle website, Doug and Sally wouldn't give up the resort unless 50,000 tickets were purchased.

If that number wasn't hit, the winning ticket would be given 50 per cent of the money raised and Doug and Sally would have kept the resort (and the remaining 50 per cent of the money).

However it appears that all has gone to plan and Joshua's dreams have come true.

When can we visit Joshua?

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