Travis Hesketh bounded onto the field at Royal Athletic Park on Wednesday night full of youthful vigor to lay claim to a prize he will only need on his deathbed.
The HarbourCats were giving away what could be called the prize of a lifetime, a funeral package worth thousands of dollars.
39-year-old Hesketh was picked in a draw held during the fifth inning.
The Metchosin man certainly didn’t see it as any kind of bad omen.
“I thought it would be nice just to have that looked after,” he said.
Hesketh admits he’s in a dangerous line of work, employed as a driller/blaster in the construction industry, and now has one less thing to worry about.
“Its good to know the funeral would be looked after,” he said.
His win sounded the death knell for a promotion that garnered a whole lot of attention for the West Coast League team in the past few weeks.
It also saw no lack of grave humour, including a number of references to diehard fans.
The team joined in the fun, but also said the prize had a more practical aim.
“This is a way to bring awareness to making sure people plan their futures in a way that helps their family deal with something that is inevitable to us all,” said Jim Swanson, Managing Partner of the HarbourCats.
“My family encountered a tragic and unexpected death not long ago, and not having all these things looked after in advance caused the heartache to be even greater.”
The prize includes a basic cremation package, a lawyer to draw up a will, and a financial planning consultation, all valued at around $3500.
Once again answering an oft asked question, Swanson says there is obviously no set time limit to collect it.
“This is the biggest thing I’ve ever won,” said Hesketh.
Ben O'Hara
