Was it Gary Baron's ticket, or the Toll Group Syndicate's ticket? Why has the story gone dead?

This is a story I have to write, because curiously, the story has gone cold since 28th of May, and not one story has been written since. Since writing this story I was contacted by a reporter from The Age and the story has now been corrected and edited. if you read on I will explain.

This is a story about mate-ship and trust, about morals and honour. It is about the truth and the cringeworthy incidents that sometimes, are just part of human nature.

You see, on October 16th, 2014, Gary Baron's dream came true, when he was one of three winners to share in a $50 million Powerball jackpot. He won $16.7 million dollars.

Gary Baron being confronted by his work mates, and reporters from Channel Nine

Picture: A current Affair, Channel Nine

Incidently and importantly, he was also the organiser of a Lotto syndicate formed at his workplace, Toll, in Geelong, where he was a courier driver. Gary Baron had purchased ten tickets in the same draw for this syndicate which had 16 members. They only won a couple of hundred dollars.

Gary Baron turned up at work at Toll in Geelong the next day and handed his notice in, he must be a good, loyal bloke though, because he stayed on at work for 2 weeks to train his replacement.

For some strange reason, Gary Baron did not inform his workmates he had won $16.7 million dollars. He kept lying to his mates about where he got the money to buy a $650,000 house for cash and a brand new M5 BMW coupe worth $160,000. It was only when Toll Group received an order from Tattersalls in Queensland to send a congratulatory bottle of Champagne around to Gary Barons house, that members of the lotto syndicate at Toll learned he had won the huge Jackpot.

This is where we discuss the strange curiosities of human nature. Firstly, when Gary Baron won, Tattslotto was aware he was also a member of a work syndicate. They conducted a thorough investigation before paying out, so there is no doubt the win is his. 

But this is the question, these were Gary Baron's Aussie work mates, they all struggled together and also joined a lotto syndicate, to try and improve their lives. When Gary Baron won, he could have given each of his syndicate work mates a hundred grand and he still would have had $15 million left to play with. Is this Greed? He bought his two kids a house and a car, so not greed, but the question is why? 

The house in Lara that Gary Baron purchased in Lara with his lotto win. 

Picture from the Victorian Age Newspaper

Another point I must make, is the treatment Gary Baron received from some of the media Australia wide and world-wide, in all forums. He was crucified by most of  the newspapers, a few were sympathetic towards him including The Age and the Fairfax Group. Gary Baron was also wrongly confronted by two of his work mates who carried cameras, at his luxury home and accused by all them of being un-Australian, a thief and a Lotto cheat. The story hit the media the next day. It was widely shown all over the net and Television and most of it untrue. 

The result of most of this publicity is that Gary Baron and his family are are in real danger of some psycho taking any one of them hostage for a share of his winnings. After all we all know where he lives and how much money he has in the bank. What some of the media have done to Gary Baron is totally unfair. His work mates stormed his home and confronted him, they then castigated and belittled him for "Acting like Hugh Hefner, and walking out in his dressing gown". I would walk out in a gold plated dressing gown if I won sixteen million dollars, if I could get one. 

Gary Baron has about $14 million dollars left of his winnings, he could easily employ a law firm and some good barristers and sue of the media organisations that slandered his good name world-wide ,and there is no doubt he would win some, if not all. He would and could make a killing. If Gary Baron is smart, he will do this and the story will go on for a few more years.

Now back to Gary's Lotto Syndicate work mates, they so distrusted him that they wrongly, I believe, thought the win was theirs, and they demanded that he proved it was his.  This is after Tattslotto had done a full investigation. So they took him to court and I quote the following directly from The Victorian Age Newspaper, May 28th, 2015-

"In a statement released by his lawyer that day, Mr Baron claimed he purchased the winning ticket using $46.60 of his own money three days before spending more than $520 on 10 tickets on behalf of the syndicate.

He said he won after playing the same favourite numbers 23 times between April and October 16, 2014, when he became one of three winners to share in $50 million.

"The syndicate games were completely unrelated to my personal favourites game which was the successful ticket," he said.

Mr Baron conceded he should have told his former syndicate partners he had won the lottery".

Gary Baron's syndicates workmates are much to blame for their plight as they entrusted Baron with the money to put their Tattslotto entry on and failed to get a copy of the numbers and the receipt. Big mistake.Gary Barons work mates are still carrying on their court case. This must be fairly expensive, one member of the syndicate has chosen not to sue, another female member became Gary's girlfriend and she did not sue either. The other fourteen will be up for a  huge legal bill if they lose. I have been advised by Fairfax Media that lawyers for the syndicate are preparing a writ and that will be filed in the Supreme Court in the next few months. so there will be more stories in the media when this finally occurs.

My guess is that Gary will also eventually end up suing his work mates for slander and libel, I also believe that the Supreme Court will find in Baron's favour, initially I thought the courts may have issued a suppression order to the media, to protect Baron from extortionists, and to protect his character, but I have been advised that this is not the case. 

A selfie, taken off Facebook, of Gary Baron's girlfriend, Jeanette McConnell in his $160,000 BMW, M5.

In closing, I must say that Gary Baron is an honest, hard working bloke, who was lucky enough to hit the Jackpot in Lotto. So he didn't share his winnings with his mates, and he didn't tell them he won. So what? There is no obligation for him to do so, he obviously has his reasons. He was crucified by his work mates and by most of the worldwide media for enjoying his Powerball win. 

Why shouldn't he enjoy it, he bought the ticket, he won fair and square and he should enjoy the fruits of his labour, not have his name and address spread all over the net so every nut in Australia comes after him? I apologise for the crass and selfish behavior of your fourteen work mates and some  the Australian press Gary, they should all be ashamed of themselves. I too thought you were a cheat, but when the full story came out, it was not the case. My opinion was colored by some of the media and their misinformation. In Australia, we believe in giving a bloke a fair go. Gary Baron was not treated that way, he deserves better.

If it is proved that this win is actually the Toll Group syndicates money, Gary Baron will go down in Australian history, as one of the biggest rats ever to cheat his mates in our wonderful country