19-year-old Keegan Payne has changed his entire family’s fortunes overnight after becoming the first angler to be awarded the top prize from the Northern Territory’s annual Million Dollar Fish competition.
The local hero reeled in the bountied barramundi, which reportedly measured 67 centimetres, early Sunday morning while fishing with his mates and younger sister Addyson Payne on the Katherine River — the latter of whom noticed this wasn’t your ordinary catch before anyone else.
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“We weren’t actually expecting a tagged barra at the time, until my little sister actually asked what it was in the fish,” Keegan Payne explained to ABC News.
“We were freakin’ out. We nearly crashed the boat getting back to the boat ramp.”
The coveted seven-figure sum has since been paid out by the folks over at SportsBet; which partnered with the Northern Territory government in a bid to lure tourists and anglers alike to the Top End during the quieter wet season months. And on the last day of the Million Dollar Fish competition, no less.
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This windfall has found a rather deserving recipient, by all accounts. According to ABC News, the Payne family recently mourned the passing of Keegan’s brother, who was tragically killed in a caravan crash near Katherine.
Keegan Payne, who has seven other siblings, added: “It’s pretty hard going for us at the moment with money, but now with a million dollars, don’t have to complain about it.”
“It means a lot, we’ve got money, we can go places. We’re actually planning a trip to America,” he said, before noting a new boat and possibly a car was also on the wishlist.
