A Lotto winner from Sydney, Australia, will use part of his winnings to help drought-stricken farmers. The man, whose name is unknown, is in his forties. He won $622,806.56 for division one in addition to other division wins for a total prize of $686,599.

He was unaware that he had won until he was contacted by NSW Lotteries. “Wow! I can’t believe it, mate!” he said in true Australian fashion. “That’s great news. Just fantastic! I’ve been playing off and on for a while and initially I thought this was a joke.”

The man, who chose to remain anonymous, said he was planning on sharing his winnings with family and friends, as well as farmers. “We were going to give a donation to the drought fund, but we can increase that now and make it more substantial. I think if we’re blessed with something like this, we should pass it on,” he said. “We’ll also pay off our mortgage and put the rest in for the kids, for their education.”

There were seven division one winning entries in Australia. Four were from New South Wales, two from Victoria and one from South Australia.

Farmers in New South Wales have been negatively affected by what has been the lowest rainfall on record. In some areas of the region, less than 10mm of rain has been recorded in July. Farmers have endured failing crops and have struggled to feed and water livestock with some herders spending upwards of A$10,000 per truckload of hay just to feed their animals.

Last Friday, twenty-three trucks carrying 2,300 bales of hay for more than 200 farmers arrived in New South Wales from Western Australia. The drought, however, is not limited to the state. Half of neighboring Queensland and parts of Victoria and South Australia have experienced drought. The dry conditions have also led to dozens of unseasonal bushfires across the region.

The government has announced that drought-affected rural communities will receive a $1 million cash subsidy, and farmers will get new tax breaks and low-interest loans included in Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s response to the crisis.

“I say to all farmers in these hard, dry times, more than ever we have your back,” Turnbull said. “There is no place for set and forget — we will continue to evolve our drought response to ensure it meets the needs of farmers.”

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The drought has also resulted in Broken Hill, a town in the outback of New South Wales, being “mobbed” by thirsty emus. The emus have reportedly been “running laps of the main street, eating gardens and gate crashing football matches.”

“We’re seeing mobs of them,” said local wildlife worker Emma Singleton, who works for Rescue and Rehabilitation of Australian Native Animals. “We are averaging at least two or three callouts a day. They’re all coming in looking for water and food. People should be mindful of their dogs and the wild animals at the moment.”

Hopefully, the Lotto winner's donation will deliver some much needed relief.