WEBVTT - Bonus: Chris & Amy from "The Big Issue"

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<v Speaker 1>Good morning.

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<v Speaker 2>You're on the air with Lauren Clinty as well.

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<v Speaker 3>Now, the other day I was out on Chapel Street

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<v Speaker 3>with some girlfriends going out for dinner and as we left,

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<v Speaker 3>I saw something that got my attention and it was

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<v Speaker 3>a vendor for The Big Issue. And I've always loved

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<v Speaker 3>buying The Big Issue. And if you don't know exactly

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<v Speaker 3>what the Big Issue is, we'll go into it in

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<v Speaker 3>a minute. But if most of my girlfriends that I

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<v Speaker 3>was with said, what is the Big Issue?

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<v Speaker 4>How does it work?

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<v Speaker 3>And I was trying to explain to them it's this

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<v Speaker 3>amazing magazine. It's been around for a really long time,

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<v Speaker 3>but the way it works and operates, I think is

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<v Speaker 3>just such an important pillar of our community. So I

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<v Speaker 3>really wanted to get the guys in here this morning

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<v Speaker 3>to explain to Melbourne just how important The Big Issue

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<v Speaker 3>is to our society and to our community. So this

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<v Speaker 3>morning we are joined by Big Issue vendor Chris. Morning, Chris,

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<v Speaker 3>and the Big Issue editor Amy Morning. Amy. Hi.

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<v Speaker 5>Firstly, thank you for coming in well, thanks for having us.

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<v Speaker 2>And Chris is wearing his best. He's going to try

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<v Speaker 2>and flow this a magazine. That's right.

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<v Speaker 3>You might have seen these men and women around because

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<v Speaker 3>you wear this very bright high these vest, You're hard

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<v Speaker 3>to miss in that criz. Exactly how long have you

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<v Speaker 3>been selling the Big Issue?

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<v Speaker 4>I have been selling the Big Issue since twenty eighteen,

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<v Speaker 4>and I've got involved because of my father.

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<v Speaker 3>And Amy. How long have you been the editor?

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<v Speaker 5>I've been the editor almost nine years.

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<v Speaker 3>For people don't understand the concept behind the Big Issue,

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<v Speaker 3>can you explain it to us please?

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<v Speaker 5>The Big Issue is a nonprofit social enterprise, So vendors

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<v Speaker 5>buy the mag for four fifty, they sell it for

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<v Speaker 5>nine dollars, so the vendors earn four dollars fifty for

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<v Speaker 5>every magazine. Soul. That's the social enterprise part of it.

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<v Speaker 2>So that's the actual person we're buying it off is

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<v Speaker 2>getting the money directly.

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<v Speaker 5>But every time you buy a Big Issue, it's really

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<v Speaker 5>supporting the person who is your boy, right Frum. We

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<v Speaker 5>turned twenty nine this year this month. Wow, we started

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<v Speaker 5>in Melbourne back in nineteen ninety six.

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<v Speaker 3>Feels like a very Melbourne thing. I actually didn't realize

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<v Speaker 3>it was all around the country.

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<v Speaker 5>Yeah, it is. We picked up the idea from the UK,

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<v Speaker 5>so there are something like ninety street papers like ours,

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<v Speaker 5>all around the world now, but yeah, it's one of

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<v Speaker 5>those things that started in Melbourne. It's now all around

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<v Speaker 5>the country and we have had about seven and eight

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<v Speaker 5>thousand people get jobs through the Big Issue.

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<v Speaker 2>I just love knowing that when I buy the magazine,

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<v Speaker 2>I'm talking to the person who's actually going to benefit.

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<v Speaker 3>From it, and that's what's so great about it. I

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<v Speaker 3>remember when I was at school, we'd go into the

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<v Speaker 3>city and I'd always seen see the same guy that

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<v Speaker 3>I will buy The Big Issue from it. Even when

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<v Speaker 3>you can tap now because it used to be a

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<v Speaker 3>lot more cash base. You can tap and you get

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<v Speaker 3>a little notification on your phone of who your vendors

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<v Speaker 3>who sold it as well, because the vendors are pretty special.

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<v Speaker 3>Vendors for the Big Issue come from a wide range

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<v Speaker 3>of experiences including homelessness, mental illness and long term unemployment,

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<v Speaker 3>intellectual and physical disability, drug and alcohol dependency, or family breakdown.

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<v Speaker 1>Chris, how does this help you well.

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<v Speaker 4>As a vendor? It helps me financially, but it also

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<v Speaker 4>helps me interact with the community and working for the

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<v Speaker 4>Big Issue brings me back on to the main page,

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<v Speaker 4>whether that be free selling, but also free selling. I've

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<v Speaker 4>got opportunities, which inside the Big Issue is I'm now

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<v Speaker 4>in their education enterprise called the Big Issue classrooms, and

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<v Speaker 4>with that I go in. I tell my lived experience

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<v Speaker 4>of having a disability as I'm vision impaired and also

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<v Speaker 4>be and also being homeless at a time. I was

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<v Speaker 4>homeless when I was seventeen, and I'm able to share

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<v Speaker 4>that experience with school groups and I can relate to

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<v Speaker 4>them because of the age I became homeless.

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<v Speaker 3>So you were vision impaired and homeless at seventeen, yes, wow?

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<v Speaker 3>And when did you start selling the Big Issue?

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<v Speaker 4>I started selling The Big Issue when I was eighteen

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<v Speaker 4>in Canberra. At the time, I was living with my

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<v Speaker 4>now wife up there, and I got involved because my father,

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<v Speaker 4>who's the current Big Issue vendor down here in Melbourne,

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<v Speaker 4>who sells in Burke Street.

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<v Speaker 3>Oh, he's got prime.

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<v Speaker 2>Does everyone get their spot?

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<v Speaker 3>Well?

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<v Speaker 4>So we ring up to get our spots. So we

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<v Speaker 4>book a day before and we say we want to

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<v Speaker 4>work here if it's available. So I work at Southern

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<v Speaker 4>Cross station on the burk Street Bridge and I'm up

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<v Speaker 4>there from seven to nine generally, and you know, I

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<v Speaker 4>ring up and get that spot every day. And because

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<v Speaker 4>I've been working there for a while now every couple

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<v Speaker 4>of days I know they know I'm going to be there,

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<v Speaker 4>so they pre booked me.

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<v Speaker 1>So what sort of response do you get, Chris, And

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<v Speaker 1>how heartwarming is that response?

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<v Speaker 4>Well, I get really good responses from people, and that's

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<v Speaker 4>the positive thing we get at it. It's not just

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<v Speaker 4>about selling a magazine. We're being interacted in the community,

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<v Speaker 4>and the community sees us out there. For myself, I

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<v Speaker 4>have people that come up to me every day and

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<v Speaker 4>talk that may not buy a bag, but they're coming

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<v Speaker 4>out there to talk to me and interact and they

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<v Speaker 4>see me out there. And I get supporters from people

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<v Speaker 4>like my local coffee shop down at Southern Cross because

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<v Speaker 4>they see me out there working. I'm not just sitting

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<v Speaker 4>at home doing that.

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<v Speaker 2>No, exactly.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, it's amazing.

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<v Speaker 2>Amy When it comes to the magazine, there's a lot

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<v Speaker 2>of magazines these days that aren't around because a lot

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<v Speaker 2>of them were just your trashy, celebrity gossip bags. What's

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<v Speaker 2>the sort of stuff you get in the big issue.

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<v Speaker 5>Well, we tell stories that are sort of arts and culture.

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<v Speaker 5>The next one is about Jaws turning fifty. The current

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<v Speaker 5>edition has a story about homelessness and housing. The most

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<v Speaker 5>important thing is that we also tell the stories of

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<v Speaker 5>the people who sell the Big Issue, and so it's

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<v Speaker 5>really important for us to make sure that we platform

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<v Speaker 5>voices that are not necessarily heard in mainstream media. So

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<v Speaker 5>we have a story about a vendor in every edition,

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<v Speaker 5>a vendor's write for us as well. We have poems

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<v Speaker 5>and stories and artwork from vendors in every edition as well.

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<v Speaker 3>Hey, Chris, what's a good day at the office for

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<v Speaker 3>the Big Issue for you? How many are you selling?

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<v Speaker 4>I average around I average around twenty magazines a day, Okay,

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<v Speaker 4>but that's an average. I could one day, I could

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<v Speaker 4>sell thirty. One day, I could sell one. Every day

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<v Speaker 4>is different, and that's the beauty of But it's not

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<v Speaker 4>just that, you know, and we're running our own small business,

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<v Speaker 4>mind you.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, exactly.

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<v Speaker 4>So it's not like we're adherent to you know, Pacific hours.

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<v Speaker 4>And that's for me. I like the routine of being

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<v Speaker 4>up going to work. I travel two hours go to

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<v Speaker 4>work every day. So I travel in from the Gips

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<v Speaker 4>and from Liatroe Valley, I travel to Melbourne. Take me

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<v Speaker 4>two hours. I work for two hours and then I

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<v Speaker 4>go home. If I don't have a classroom to go

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<v Speaker 4>to and you know that's I'm committed to that because

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<v Speaker 4>that's my work, that's mine nine to five.

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<v Speaker 2>You must feel a lot of independence out of it

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<v Speaker 2>as well.

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<v Speaker 4>Exactly. I feel not just independence, but pride about what

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<v Speaker 4>I do and sharing my story, sharing other vendors stories

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<v Speaker 4>as well through selling to maybe Chris.

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<v Speaker 1>Where would you be without the Big Issue?

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<v Speaker 4>Well, I don't know. Like I was lost when I

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<v Speaker 4>started working for the Big Issue. And I would say,

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<v Speaker 4>I've found my place. I've found the thing that's called

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<v Speaker 4>to me.

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<v Speaker 3>That's so cool to hear, it's amazing.

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<v Speaker 2>Where's the sweet spot in Melbourne? Where's the spot everything?

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<v Speaker 3>The guy on Chapel Street the other night was doing

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<v Speaker 3>very well, Jeffrey.

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<v Speaker 2>What's the primo location?

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<v Speaker 4>I will say Burke Street Mall. We have a lot

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<v Speaker 4>of vendors that's all around there. Teresa is one, my

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<v Speaker 4>father David, he's one out there. There's a lot more.

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<v Speaker 4>I can't think if there's a lot of vendors that's

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<v Speaker 4>all around there anyway, but.

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<v Speaker 1>This is the beauty of it. You get to know

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<v Speaker 1>your vendor as well. On Glen Parry Road, there's a

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<v Speaker 1>bloke who sits there with his blue heeler, is it, Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>just outside the Westpac Bank, and you know, go up

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<v Speaker 1>and get to Patty's dog, sagurday to him, see how

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<v Speaker 1>he's going. It's like a check in and then he

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<v Speaker 1>checks in on me as well. It's there's a beautiful

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<v Speaker 1>story and relationship that a company has the sale of this, and.

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<v Speaker 3>I can't recommend it enough. If you do see a

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<v Speaker 3>Big Issue vendor out, go and say hello. The magazine

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<v Speaker 3>is a great read as well. I always get it

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<v Speaker 3>whenever I see it, which is why we wanted to

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<v Speaker 3>talk about it today.

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<v Speaker 2>Ed your kids about it too.

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<v Speaker 3>They're nine dollars and the vendor personally gets fifty percent

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<v Speaker 3>of that, so you get four dollars fifty per magazine.

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<v Speaker 3>But you'll meet some really great people with some amazing

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<v Speaker 3>stories to share as well. I mean, you must be

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<v Speaker 3>so proud of all of these vendors who work for

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<v Speaker 3>the Big Issue.

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<v Speaker 5>Yeah, I really I have a long relationship with a

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<v Speaker 5>lot of our vendors. We have vendors who have worked

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<v Speaker 5>for the Big Issue for almost twenty nine years and

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<v Speaker 5>some that come for a couple of months and use

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<v Speaker 5>it as a stepping stone to go on to other

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<v Speaker 5>things too, But as you said about the community around

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<v Speaker 5>the big issue vendors, that's the big key thing. If

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<v Speaker 5>you're a vendor that's selling at Preston Markets every weekend,

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<v Speaker 5>you really build up that community around you and there's

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<v Speaker 5>some really amazing stories that come out of that.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, get out and support your local big issue vendors.

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<v Speaker 2>Chris and Amy, thanks so much for coming in. Guys,

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<v Speaker 2>thank you very much.

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<v Speaker 3>Jason, Lauren l wake up feeling good following them on

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<v Speaker 3>the socials.