By AIDAN KNIGHT
A FAMILIAR face at the school crossing will make her television debut tomorrow (Thursday, July 10), hoping to turn dreams into reality through the means of reality TV.
Shelley Goldsborough is a Traralgon resident and ‘lollypop lady’ crossing guard, who spends her days painting with watercolour and pastels.
She will be taking a stab at the $100,000 take-home prize when she appears on Channel 10’s Deal or No Deal.
“I currently drag all my art stuff in and out because its either too cold or too hot in the garage, and it kind of dampens my creative spirit,” she said.
If she wins, Shelley plans to allocate $15,000 of the money towards her creative pursuit.
“I would love to convert half my garage into a studio for my art,” she said.
If she wins the full amount, she has pledged to donate some money to a variety of charities, many of which she has already donated hours to herself, such as Gippsland Rotary Centenary House and Animal Rescue, Traralgon.
Shelley divulged to the Express that she suspects it is this kind of community involvement that saw her picked for the show.
“I was worried I would be immediately screened out in the process leading up to getting on the show honestly, I didn’t know any trivia or anything, I simply had a love for the show”, she said.
She took the Traralgon line to the city and ventured to Dockland Studios, spending the entire train trip trawling the internet for all the Deal or No Deal facts she could, thinking she would have to past a test of some sort for a chance to get on the show.
“All I had to do was talk and tell my story. I think it’s really nice that these programs operate that way now, caring more about the people than their ability,” Shelley explained.
When interviewed, Shelley told the producers of her husbands passing in 2012 from lung cancer, following a holiday to Hawaii that worsened his condition, leading to him being taking off the flight home in an ambulance, never to return.
Shelley dreams of being able to return to Hawaii in her late husbands memory, and enjoy the trip in a more peaceful state, “like he would have wanted it to be.”
Overall though, Shelly said the best part about being selected for the show is being part of something she had incorporated into her weekly routine since it’s conception on Australian television in 2003.
“It’s always been my show,” she said.
While Shelley won’t reveal how she fared on the show until it airs, she said the experience alone was “extraordinary” – not just for the chance at a windfall, but for the reminder that her story matters.
Shelley Goldsborough’s episode of Deal or No Deal airs tomorrow (Thursday, July 10) at 7pm on Channel 10.
