Vendors

I grew up in Adelaide, in the suburb of Payneham. Been there all my life. I went to Payneham Primary School, then went to Marden High. I haven’t lived out of the town. Growing up, I played cricket locally for my school, and for a couple of years at Payneham Cricket Club. I played soccer…

Read More

I hated school. I hated discipline. At that time, you were allowed to leave school at 15, and on my 15th birthday I was like “see you later”! When I left school, I started off as a cabinet maker. But I didn’t have much of an education, so I got let go because I couldn’t…

Read More

I’m known as “The French Kiwi” to everyone around me. Born in Whangārei, in the North Island of New Zealand, I had the only French name in town. And boy did I get picked on for that! For the first seven years of my life, I grew up in foster care. The family were so…

Read More

I grew up in Hoxton Park, out past Liverpool. Back then, it was more like living in the country than in Sydney. We had a farm with a hay shed. We had cows, geese and chooks. My mum and dad were great; they really took care of us. They taught me: don’t eat fatty foods;…

Read More

I was born in Melbourne. Mum had rubella in the second month of pregnancy, and they weren’t too sure how I was going to come out. I  just happened to be a miracle baby. I was born with no vision in the left eye, and six per cent vision in my right eye. I’m just…

Read More

I came into the world in 1957, in Young, New South Wales. I was the second born, and the black sheep of the family. I was always into mischief – wagging school, playing up. We moved to Forbes, and I got a job on a dairy farm before I turned 16. I’d milk cows, do…

Read More

I grew up in Adelaide, in Cowandilla. I was there for about 15 years. My parents split up, and I ended up on my own. I was homeless for a while. Then I did mining and stuff, looking for opals in Coober Pedy. I’d find some now and then, just enough to keep going. It’s…

Read More

I was born in Perth. Apparently we lived in Manning Park, but I don’t remember that. I can only recall from the time when my family and I moved to Carnarvon. I remember my Grade 1 teacher, because I loved her. And I remember my Grade 3 teacher because I hated her. She gave me…

Read More

Out of everything I’ve done in my life, having my child has got to be the most amazing thing. I love watching him grow. He’s learning to read. Some days, I’m not perfect, but I’m doing the best I can – and I’m a world away from where I grew up. I’m doing the work to reverse my history.

Read More

Selling The Big Issue gives me a life. It gets me out of home. I love talking to people. It’s not about selling; for me, it’s about interacting with other people.

Read More