Accountant looks to cash in on resort island business he won in a raffle

A 26-year-old from Wollongong is a new man, literally, after having traded his $60,000-a-year accounting job for ownership of a tropical island courtesy which he won in a lottery.

Josh Ptasznyk, 26, now finds himself running a multi-million dollar resort on the tiny Micronesian Island of Kosrae. He won the resort from a $66 lottery ticket in July 2016 off a Gold Coast couple Doug and Sally Beitz, who earned about $4 million in ticket sales, according to a report in goldcoastbulletin.com.au citing the Daily Telegraph.

“My life has completely changed, it is really tough work but it has pushed me out of my comfort zone,” he was quoted in the report as saying.

Ptasznyk is now managing dozens of staff and has taken up paddle-boarding and kayaking.

“I’ve been doing heaps of activities and sports I wouldn’t normally try and to be honest I used to spend most of my time in front of a computer.

“I wake up early, open the restaurant and get to work. It is a lot different to my old job.”

Ptasznyk said he misses his parents and friends but says he made the right choice.

“It has been hard on my parents because they miss me heaps,” he said.

Ptasznyk says the news came while he was at a Trivia night with friends and got a call to be informed that he had won the resort.

“I thought it wasn’t true so I hung up but they kept calling and eventually I realised it was true and packed my bags.”

Ptasznyk’s friends are celebrating too. One of them has planned his 30s birthday on the island and more are planning trips.

The former accountant told the Daily Telegraph he would use his skills scouring the books to turn the resort into a long-term investment.

Currently, the biggest challenge is getting people to the Island.

It has an airstrip but most holiday makers will need to travel to Guam in Micronesia before catching a second flight to Kosrae.

After the airfares, rooms go for as little as US$119 a night or around A$160.

Guests will have access to the entire island and all its activities.

The resort runs diving classes and bushwalking sessions as well as offering fine-dining options along the coastline.

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