Call off the search - she's been found!
The winner of the Assistant for Best Job in the World island caretaker has finally been found, after Tourism Queensland spent weeks trying to contact her.
Californian Barbie Defeo was drawn from more than 23,000 entries from 150 countries to become the assistant to Ben Southall, the winner of the Best Job in the World. Her duty would be to communicate to the rest of the world via blogs, however that could prove to be tricky for someone who fails to check their own emails.
Embarrassed tourism officials had left numerous emails and answerphone messages for Ms Defoe and were prepared to do a re-draw if she had not responded by the 23 October.
Ms Defoe, who works as a compliance manager in southern California only discovered she had won when she was reading about an American winner who had failed to claim the prize. Perhaps remembering then that she had entered, she had the sudden thought to check her emails and discovered that she was indeed the lucky winner.
Tourism Minister Peter Lawlor said of her reaction: “I’m told she was ecstatic and in complete shock. She will bring her husband and two teenage daughters and it will be her family’s first trip to Australia and the southern hemisphere.�
Ms Defoe claims to have been following Ben Southall’s blog since he first took up the job of island caretaker on July 1st. Her only duty will be to help Ben write guest blogs about life on the island – nothing too taxing then!
Ms Defoe and her family will be staying on the island for seven weeks with all expenses paid. “My family and I love the outdoors and can’t wait to go bike riding, swimming and snorkeling.�
So many congratulations to Barbie Defoe and her family, we’d email you our best wishes but you might not pick it up….
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