I’m from South Africa. I was born in Johannesburg in 1953. It’s better to be here, because it’s safer. I lost both my parents in 1997. That’s when I came to Australia, on the 24th of September in 1997, when I was 44. My sisters brought me out. I have three sisters: the oldest is still in South Africa, and my two younger sisters are here. My sisters are very good. My parents were great to me, too.
I used to go to a special school where they did welding and panel beating and also woodwork. I left in 1970, on the 1st of June. I used to work in a pharmacy in South Africa, selling creams and all that, and then I was a cashier in a supermarket. They had proper registers, not like nowadays where it’s all through the computers.
After I came to Australia, I did intersection collections for charity – it was hard. And then I found out about The Big Issue, and I decided it was the best job for me. I like it very much. After a bit of a break, I’ve been back at The Big Issue for three years in February. The Big Issue is my favourite job. I like to sell the magazines and all that. I’ve got some customers that come from all over the place, and they buy from me. I get good money and it helps me buy things that I really need. I’m saving up to buy a new pair of headphones for the TV, so I don’t play things too loud. And I want to go on a holiday to Adelaide at a later stage. I’ve been trying so hard to go there for a while.
I also sell coffee beans on the weekend with a friend of mine. His name is Chris. We go all over the place; we go to all the shops.
I moved from Frankston to Port Melbourne on the 24th of June this year. I’m now in a nursing home; they help me more. I’m happier staying in Port Melbourne because it’s close to the city, only 15 minutes by tram.
I am sporty. I like tenpin bowling. I joined a league – it’s very good. Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose. I went to Queensland one year to do my tenpin bowling. I like bocce as well. There’s a club in Springvale Road that I go to. And I do martial arts too, on a Monday. It’s called aikido. I just got a yellow belt a couple of weeks ago, and I’m going for my green belt. I’ve been doing it for eight years – I’m very good. I used to do tennis, but I can’t do everything. I didn’t do well at tennis because a lot of people used to beat me.
I just hope to carry on with my tenpin bowling, and carry on with The Big Issue. I just do my best. I do what I can. Once this profile comes out, I hope people will buy a lot from me.
Michael sells The Big Issue on the cnr Exhibition & Bourke Sts, Melbourne.
Interview by Amy Hetherington
Photo by James Braund