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The atmosphere was electric as over 250 invited guests gathered at the Ashburton Trust Event Centre to find out who the winners of the Ruralco Big Draw were.

Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Ruralco Instore Days, and with the support of Ruralco suppliers and sponsors, the Big Draw - a prize pool worth over $250,000 - was conceived over twelve months ago by Ruralco Group CEO, Robert Sharkie. “We knew we wanted to make the 25th anniversary Instore Days truly memorable. The support of our suppliers and strength of our network enabled us to give away 56 fantastic prizes including, a Ford Mustang sports car, a Fi-Glass Dominator boat and a Harley Davidson motorcycle. This highlights the continued relevance of our Instore Days and the strength of the co-operative.” Rob said.

“I’m still in a state of shock” said Peter Holmes winner of the Ford Mustang sports car. “I can’t believe this is our car!” Peter and wife Raylene are dairy farmers from Lowcliffe and are long-time members of Ruralco. “I came here tonight thinking we’d be lucky if we won a fire extinguisher and we’ve won this sports car. I’m blown away; although I’m not sure we’ll get the grandchildren’s car seats in” a beaming Raylene said.

Deer farmer and long-time co-operative member Ray Kane of Mt Somers was the winner of the Fi-Glass Dominator boat. A member since the 1970s Ray said “I know I’ve won it, but it hasn’t sunk in. I had a jet boat a long time ago, we used to often run that aground in the river, so this boat will take a bit of getting used to.”

An overwhelmed Dean McConnell was ecstatic at winning the Harley Davidson XL 1200CX Roadster. “It’s amazing. I’ve never won anything like this before, it’s too much to take in. I’d better go get my motorcycle license tomorrow.” Dean and wife Carol, along with son Ben, are partners in McConnell Ag, a dairy farming operation at Hinds. “Thank you so much to Ruralco and the suppliers, we never imagined winning anything like this. Over the years Dean has said in jest that he’d like to get a Harley, now you’ve made his dream come true.” said Carol.

Ruralco Instore Days are a mainstay in the mid Canterbury farming calendar. Over the two-day event, Ruralco suppliers offered pre-advertised specials and unique event deals tailored to the needs of members. The event is held annually in early July and this year saw more people through the doors than ever with the event catering for over 2,000 people. With over 100 site holders, members reaped the rewards and savings of belonging to the co-operative and enjoyed the hospitality, community and family feel that Ruralco membership offers.

This year the Ruralco Instore Days saw turnover through the store, farm supplies and seed sales almost double on previous years. For every $250 spent, members received entry into the Ruralco Big Draw. The Ruralco Big Draw was conducted under police supervision and scrutinised by the BNZ.