Wee Mac’s really got ‘the power’

Mackenzie Cooke knew what he wanted almost as soon as he entered Drumahoe Primary School’s Assembly Hall on Thursday night for a Rickety Wheel in aid of Stute FC. On the prize table in front of him his dream toy - an inflatable Power Rangers target with mask and gloves.

He was barely able to contain his mounting excitement as the night wore on, and such was the young man’s determination to win, the whole gathering knew that there was going to be one very disappointed wee man down the front if his number, 118, didn’t come up.

Those who were there know it didn’t, and crestfallen was not the word to describe wee Mac’s mood as another ticket number was called: The owner of 120, who, by happenchance was sitting in the row in front of Mackenzie.

Dashed

Attending the Rickety Wheel with his mum, Julie-Ann and her partner, Stevie, and Mac’s sister Amy, five-year-old Mac’s hopes seemed dashed, and the whole hall knew it.

“There were a lot of prizes there and there was so much on the table I don’t know how Mackenzie saw it but he just homed in on it, and set his heart on winning it,” said mum, Julie-Ann, adding: “He then made sure everybody in the room know he wanted it.”

“I tried to tell him that he could only win it if his ticket came out, but he just wanted it. He had a ticket and his sister had a ticket too, as did I and my partner Stevie. Mackenzie’s number was 118, and I think the number that came out was 120. You could see the prize coming down onto the table, so we all knew to buy a ticket and Mackenzie was so excited he was on the edge of his chair. He had his fingers crossed, his legs crossed, it was unbelievable,” she said.

“The man with the ticket 120 which won was on the same row as me, and Mac was in the row behind, and when the number was called about 20 people sitting round Mac just went ‘awww’. It was like a pantomime, and Mackenzies wee shoulders just slumped and his head went down.

“But the man turned round and just said ‘There you go wee man, you take that there for the toy’, and everybody in the hall just cheered,” said Julie-Ann, continuing: “Mackenzie was just over the moon, and walked straight up to the table as proud as punch and put the ticket on the table and took the prize. And there was a big cheer.”

Thanking the anonymous ticket holder who made Wee Mac’s big night for his generosity, she said her son couldn’t wait to get it out of the box and inflated, although her partner was light-headed and out of puff by the time he had blown it up.