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I was born in Melbourne. Mum told me I was born in the hospital in Moonee Ponds. I’ve got two sisters, but they do their own thing. I’m the youngest. My parents split up. We shifted from one place to the next – I’ve been all over the place. Because I’d been moving around, I ended up…

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I was born in America, and we moved to Perth four years later, when my Aussie-born mum and American father split. I have cerebral palsy, and my grandfather told Mum to bring me to Australia because the health system was much more affordable. I attended a “special needs” education facility in Mount Lawley, where I…

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I’ve lived in Whyalla for 21 years, and I started at The Big Issue 18 years ago. One lady even said I’m a Whyalla icon.

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I was born in Bristol in England, but I grew up in Kent. I was adopted by my mum and dad when I was about six-and-a-half, along with my two brothers. I don’t remember anything about my life before then. My dad was fighting in India when he was 15 – he put his age…

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I grew up on a farm in Coonabarabran in New South Wales. We had pigs. My childhood was pretty good. At the time, I probably didn’t like it so much, coming from a family of 10. I was the oldest boy. My sister was a bit older than me – she and I had a…

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I’m in a good spot in my life at the moment, but that wasn’t always the case. My life started with open-heart surgery shortly after I was born. Luckily it went well, but I might need additional surgery to replace a valve later in life, so I can have a long life. While my parents…

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I grew up in South Melbourne. I was an only child and was raised by my nan. She was an aged care worker. My nan was awesome. She was totally old school in her values – hard worker, good provider, created a family environment. I’m strong, like her. My childhood was good with her. I only have…

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I was brought up in Kingston, which is a few miles south of Woodridge in southeastern Queensland. It was my mum, dad and sister at home, but Dad was away a lot. Eventually my parents split up, so Mum did a lot on her own. I found primary school difficult and didn’t like it much…

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I used to be an athlete. I got a scholarship with the Australian Institute of Sport when I was 14, and was with them for 10 years. I’ve travelled to Germany, Brazil, Spain, Hungary, Malaysia and Argentina to compete in the world championships for the intellectually disabled. I’ve held a world record and won gold…

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I grew up with a single mum and an elder sister in St Albans, Melbourne. I never knew my father; he died when I was one. My mum’s parents are Ukrainian, and during this turmoil I’ve been wishing I could do more. I got the amazing Ukrainian trident (tryzub) tattoo, so now it’s always close…

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