Mrs Yvonne Smith of Geelong, Victoria, and her husband, Derek, will be sitting courtside at Wimbledon this July for the men's and women's finals after winning the Aviva Australia, sponsor of the Aviva Ballkids, competition at the Australian Open Tennis tournament this year.
Mrs Yvonne Smith of Geelong, Victoria, and her husband, Derek, will be sitting courtside at Wimbledon this July for the men's and women's finals after winning the Aviva Australia, sponsor of the Aviva Ballkids, competition at the Australian Open Tennis tournament this year.
Mrs Smith is doubly excited with the win as it gives her the opportunity to travel to South Wales to visit her 88-year-old mother, who has recently suffered ill-health, as well as watching the best tennis players in the world for the second time in six months.
More than 15,000 tennis fans entered the Aviva Australia competition - all hoping to win the $21,000 prize which includes return tickets to London with Qantas, three nights accommodation during the Wimbledon finals, travel between the hotel and Wimbledon, VIP hospitality in The Gatsby Club for two days - in addition to reserved seating for the men's and women's finals!
To enter the competition, tennis fans filled in the entry form at the Aviva Australia sponsors tent at Melbourne Park during the recent Australian Open. Their entry also included a questionnaire that helped Aviva measure the impact of its sponsorship of the Aviva Ballkids on the tennis public.
Mrs Smith said she was delighted to win the competition; "I've never won anything in my life, so this was a great thrill. It made me very nervous and excited, but not as much as my husband and daughter who were beside themselves," she said.
"At first I thought it was a practical joke being played on me, but I soon realised the people from Aviva were not kidding.
"We've been in Australia for 24 years and didn't really expect to be able to get back to the UK for a holiday for quite some time, and now we will be seeing some of the best tennis players in the world at the most famous tournament. It is like a dream."
The Smiths will be leaving Australia on 25 June and have decided that in addition to visiting South Wales before and after the tournament they will take the opportunity to slip across the English Channel to visit Mr Smith's brother in France.
"We are going to make the most of this opportunity," said Yvonne.
The Aviva Win a Trip to Wimbledon competition also included a survey of entrants, which has provided the company, which was formally known as Norwich Union Australia, with some outstanding insight into how the tennis loving fans at Melbourne park view the new brand and the financial services industry.
Aviva Australia marketing manager Kate Williams offered her congratulations to Yvonne Smith and thanked all the thousands of people who entered the competition.
"Aviva was delighted with the response to the competition and also particularly pleased with the reaction of our winner, Mrs Smith. It is fantastic such a lovely person has won and they will be able to put the prize to such good use in visiting their family as well," said Kate.
-ends-
For further information please contact:
Simon Morgan
Group General Manager Public Affairs
Phone: (03) 9829 8892
Mobile: 0407 966 632
Notes to editors:
- Globally, Aviva Australia is part of Aviva plc, the world's fifth largest insurance group, the largest insurer in the UK and one of the top five life companies in Europe. Aviva was formed in May 2000 through the global merger of CGU plc and Norwich Union plc.
- Aviva is a leading provider of life and pensions products to Europe and has substantial businesses elsewhere around the world. Its main activities are long-term savings, fund management and general insurance. It has premium income and investment sales from continuing operations of A$78 billion, and more than A$624 billion of assets under management (as at 1 July 2004). The group has more than 56,000 employees and 30 million customers worldwide. Aviva is a leading provider of life and pensions products to Europe and has substantial businesses elsewhere around the world. Its main activities are long-term savings, fund management and general insurance. It has premium income and investment sales from continuing operations of A$78 billion, and more than A$624 billion of assets under management (as at 1 July 2004). The group has more than 56,000 employees and 30 million customers worldwide.
- The information in this document reflects Norwich Union Life Australia Limited's (NULAL) and NULIS Nominees (Australia) Limited's ('NULIS') understanding of existing legislation, proposed legislation, rulings etc as at the date of issue. In some cases the information has been provided to us by third parties. While it is believed the information is accurate and reliable, this is not guaranteed in any way. The information given in this document is of a general nature and has not taken into account the investment objectives, financial situation or particular needs of any particular person and it is not a substitute for professional advice. Applications to invest in a financial product issued by Aviva, or any of its related entities, must be made by completing the application form attached to the applicable Product Disclosure Statement ("PDS"). A PDS is available from Aviva or your financial adviser. Before making an investment decision on the basis of the information above, a prospective investor needs to consider, with or without the assistance of a professional adviser whether the information is appropriate in the light of their particular investment needs, objectives and financial circumstances.