Suddenly coming into a lot of money is a dream for many. It’s investing and actually making it last that they may find difficult.
However, this is not the case for UK couple Bill and Cath Mullarkey who returned to the UK from Saint Lucia to a very special message, telling them they had won £1 million in the National Lottery in 2017.
“When we reached, we realised, we got texts saying, you know, congratulations, you’ve won, so we phoned the lottery hotline and they confirmed it. And then it was life-changing.” Bill Mullarkey.
For the couple, this new windfall meant that they could finally live their dream of owning a home and establishing their dream restaurant right here in Saint Lucia. For the Mallurkeys, investing in a restaurant was quite fitting. Bill has been a trained chef from the age of 16, and Cath has enjoyed cooking all of her life.
“At that time I thought I knew it all, French cuisine, until I came here [Saint Lucia] and got the job, looked at the menu and thought to myself, what’s a dasheen? What’s a plantain? I realised I don’t know everything, but now I quickly learnt the cuisines of the island and the ingredients and how to use and be creative with them,” Bill told St. Lucia Times.
Brigands Hideaway opened its doors in December of 2023, and according to the couple, it’s been a joyful ride ever since. Located in Rabot Estate, Soufriere, Bill and Cathy say they get most of their customers from the Hotel Chocolat nearby.
We’ve heard several horror stories of persons winning the lottery and losing it all in a short time, however Bill says his most important advice to persons who just came into money, is to wait it out a bit.
“Take time. Don’t go on a spending spree. Take a month or two months. Let it sink in and decide what you want to do with it.”
Satisfied, they say is the perfect word to describe how they feel about their life right now, with plans for expansion of Brigands Hideaway in the future.
