Vegas woman looking forward to a ‘field trip’ down under

Heather Rawlyk

Friday, Jan. 2, 2004 | 4:52 a.m.

WEEKEND EDITION January 3 - 4, 2004

When Lesley Kraus received a certified letter stating she had won an all-inclusive trip to Australia, she thought it was a marketing scheme.

The 32-year-old single mother had almost forgotten about entering the national "Wonders Down Under" sweepstakes run by Black Swan Wines in mid-October when she read the words, "You are a potential winner," printed in bold black letters on the paper before her.

"When I read the letter, I shrugged it off like 'whatever' and really didn't believe it," she said. "I called my mom first and then decided to call a representative of Black Swan Wines to see what they were talking about."

Kraus said she was not prepared for what the representative told her.

The representative told Kraus that as long as she was over the age of 21 and qualified according the rules and regulations, that she was the grand prize winner of the sweepstakes.

"At that point I just said 'OK' and tried to take it all in," she said. "Then I just got really excited."

Kraus had every right to be excited. The grand prize includes a 11-day and 12-night all-expense-paid trip to Australia on an epicurean adventure through Sydney, Adelaide, Cairns and a stop in the Barossa Valley to sample wines, according to spokeswoman Danielle Eddy.

The trip also allowed for Kraus to bring along one guest.

"I called my mom and told her it was for real and then she started screaming," Kraus said. "I told her I didn't know who to take and she started screaming 'Me, me,' so I laughed and said I would take her."

Kraus beat out more than 55,000 people who entered the sweepstakes sponsored by Black Swan Wines, in partnership with Quantas Airlines and Australia.com.

"I saw the ad for the contest in the back of a Women's World Magazine and got on the Black Swan's website to enter because you had to enter on the Internet," Kraus said. "I honestly forgot all about it until I got the letter."

Kraus said it took about one month to find out she was the winner.

"I entered the contest before Halloween," she said. "Then I got the letter a week before Thanksgiving."

A general manager for Domino's Pizza, Kraus had to take some time off of work.

"I told my work and they said I couldn't take a vacation as a joke," she said. "Then they laughed and said it was great and somewhere they'd always wanted to go."

Kraus' co-workers weren't the only ones excited for their friend.

"All of my friends are going crazy," she said. "Everyone's saying they've never met anyone who won something big like this."

Kraus and her mother, Sandra, will be traveling to Australia in late February.

"Everything's set and we're first flying from here to Los Angeles and then to Australia," she said. "Flight, hotels, lodging and transportation are all paid for, which is great since I've heard it's an expensive trip to take."

Kraus came up with a way to explain her pending departure to her 4-year-old daughter.

"I told her that her grandma and I are going on a field trip," she said. "She's just like, 'I've gone on field trips' and can understand that way."

This is one far-flung field trip. Kraus said she is looking forward to a cruise of the Great Barrier Reef.

"I heard they are setting some things up for us and one of the things I'm mostly excited about is a cruise at the Great Barrier Reef," she said. "It's pretty exciting to say the least."

Kraus said she has lived in Las Vegas since 1997 and has never won anything.

"I'm so excited because this is a place I've always wanted to go," she said. "Pretty good for someone who never wins anything. I never win anything. Well, I guess I should now say I've never won anything before."