34-Yr-Old British Man Wins “Best Job In The World” – But There’s Still A Cdn. Connection
Posted May 6, 2009 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
His name is Ben Southall and he’s the luckiest man on the planet.
The 34-year-old British man beat out nearly 35,000 people across the globe and 15 other finalists to win the so-called “Best Job In The World.”
The five-month long contest to chose someone to blog about lying on a Hamilton Island, Australia beach, feed the fish, snorkel, swim, live in a mansion and do other “odious” chores for six months, was first announced in January.
Entrants from more than 200 countries sent in one minute videos explaining why they wanted the position in paradise. But the ostrich riding, outdoor-loving, safari-experienced charity fundraiser beat them all, including a journalist from Vancouver, Erik Rolfsen, who made the final cut.
See Southall’s winning video below.
The lucky winner will get well paid for his efforts, earning more than Cdn$120,000 for his six-months gig. He admits he’s a bit nervous with all the attention. “I hope I can fill the boots as much as everybody is expecting, my swimming hopefully is up to standard and I look forward to all of the new roles and the responsibilities that the task involves,” he proclaims.
A few minutes on the beach with pay should remove any of those anxieties. His duties start July 1st.
The contest was the brainchild of Tourism Queensland, which like other resort areas of the world, has watched the economic downturn eat into the number of visitors heading to the tropical island.
They’re hoping the publicity, which succeeded beyond their wildest dreams, will translate into more tourist dollars as the country heads into its winter season. There were several Canadians who made the top 50 in the contest’s middle stages, including three from Ontario, but failed to make the cut.
But they may get another chance – officials say the idea was so successful, they may make it an annual event.
Rolfsen was the only Canuck there at the end and will head back to his job at the Vancouver Province newspaper having had a de facto paid vacation and lots of new material to write about. But that doesn’t mean there still won’t be a Great White North connection to this story.
It turns out Southall has a Canadian girlfriend, a woman from Vancouver, who is going to join him “soon” and spend the best six-months together they’re ever likely to have on someone else’s dime.
Photo credit: Torsten Blackwood/AFP/Getty Images
See the official contest site here and sign up for blog updates