Meet Your Vendor
interview by Anastasia Safioleas photo by James Braund
PROUD UNIFORM PARTNER OF THE BIG ISSUE VENDORS.
12 FEB 2021
SELLS THE BIG ISSUE OUTSIDE TARGET, BOURKE ST, MELBOURNE
05
Pat
I was born in the UK in Surrey. I came to Australia when I was really little. I still love the old country – it hurts my heart that I missed out on all my cousins, my grandparents, my uncles – but I’ve been in Melbourne my whole life. I had a really happy childhood, and we had the best parents. I was never really that great at school, so I left when I was 15. I worked at the old Cottee’s cordial factory in Blackburn. That was a nice job. At Christmas you’d get an extra week’s pay. I was underage then, but they’d also give you a dozen bottles of beer! Then I joined the railways. That was a lovely job too, talking to the travelling public. I started off as a junior station assistant. You had to sweep the platform, collect the tickets. Then I became a station assistant and after that a signal assistant. It was daunting – we had to make sure we only had the one train on each line! When I became a station master in my own right, I had my own station. We had to do interstate bookings and I used to help people plan their holidays. I loved it. We had an old signal panel and had to shunt trains. It was such a great job but then Jeff Kennett came out and told us “Make the best of it. It’s not going to last.” So, I got a job making dental products. It’s where I did my back – lifting bags of material into moulding machines. But one day they got a new manager. He called me into the office and said “Pat, there’s nothing wrong with your work but we’re restructuring. There’s your money. See you later.” I was devastated. I still am in a way. I was pretty depressed after that. I was just sitting at home, so I started collecting money for cancer patients. I met a friend there who had been at The Big Issue. He knew I couldn’t get a job because of my back and knees so he said give The Big Issue a go. I started selling the magazine and gee I enjoy it. I get immense satisfaction talking to people. They’ll tell me about their kids, their husband, about their private life – some people really open up to you. I’ll never get wealthy selling The Big Issue but I get satisfaction and pride. Self-esteem that you’re working and you’re giving back to the community. I don’t know if it sounds a bit old-fashioned, but I don’t believe in being a burden to my country. I would like to tell my customers that I really appreciate them. I love them all. I want them to be happy and prosperous. And to keep buying The Big Issue! I really care about every one of them. I mean that from the bottom of my heart.