Meet your vendor.
I grew up in Sydney, in Bondi. I’m the oldest of three and was born with spina bifida hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus is fluid in the skull, and it puts pressure on the brain tissue, so I’ve got a shunt to drain the fluid. Sometimes you need to get these shunts replaced, and I haven’t really had my shunt replaced for a long, long time. Thank God.
So, I’m in a wheelchair. I can’t really move my legs, but I can move around – and move above the waist. When I was young, I ended up having a back operation and had rods in my back to keep my spine as straight as it could be. A few years ago, I also ended up with epilepsy. Yeah, not fun.
Growing up in a wheelchair at school wasn’t too bad. It was more about not being able to do some things that the other kids could do, but my parents didn’t treat me any differently than they treated my brother and sister.
Of course, there were certain things I couldn’t do, but we all accepted that and it kind of made things easier. I definitely felt supported by my family and also the school.
How did I come to be a Big Issue vendor? Through my fiancé, Eddie, who’s been a vendor now for around 25 years. I started about two or three years ago. My pitch is outside Woolworths on George Street, opposite the Town Hall. It’s a good spot, a busy spot. There are a lot of people walking by.
I don’t really have regular customers. The only regular customers I have are my parents and my taxi driver. My taxi driver is really nice. I’m pretty good most days. Sometimes, pain flares up for a little bit, usually when it’s cold. What’s a good day on my pitch? Selling all my magazines!
One day I was at my pitch, which at that time was outside KFC, when this guy came up and threw down a stack of money and just walked off. When I got home, I took the money out and counted it. It was $500! I couldn’t believe it, and I don’t know why he did it. I can’t remember him saying anything to me – it was just random. It’s never happened again, unfortunately!
Eddie and I are also saving for our wedding. We’ve been engaged now for six years. We’re living together so, yeah, it would be nice to get married.
I really like selling The Big Issue. I like being in the fresh air, meeting people, having conversations. I also like crafting and baking. I don’t bake too much, but I do like baking biscuits and anything with chocolate in it. It’s just a really nice, peaceful way to pass the time.
Chantelle sells The Big Issue at Woolworths Town Hall on George St, Sydney
Interview by Jen Vuk
Photo by Brent Lewin
Published in ed#757