The Big(gest) Issue

3 June 2016 #513

Cover Story: The Big(gest) Issue

The Big(gest) Issue

The Big Issue is turning 20! To celebrate our departure from adolescence, we bring you stories from two crazy decades in our biggest ever edition. We travel from our beginning as “a single desk tucked away in a corner of the Brotherhood of St Laurence in inner-city Melbourne” to becoming a national organisation that only continues to grow. From a tale about the humble start of the Community Street Soccer Program, to a Vendor Support worker who has been with us since Ed#1, this issue is about celebrating, thanking and reflecting on why we’re all still doing this: to help people help themselves.

Also in this issue...

With help from former editor Alan Attwood, we tell a little of our story so far, revisit some of the famous faces who have helped us sell the magazine, reveal the facts about the fiction edition, hear from previous and current columnists, travel through time with illustrator Michael Weldon, muse over how much has changed in the arts in 20 years, peer through the lens at some highlight Roving Eye photos and test your knowledge with a special anniversary edition of Quizling.

This edition is also chock-full of content by and for the homeless, marginalised or disadvantaged people this organisation is all about. There is a collage of old Vendor Profile photos as well as numerous beautiful snaps throughout, stories of some of the first people on board and a tribute to the special women who contribute to The Big Issue in various ways. There is also a section dedicated to some of the amazing writing that has been submitted to us over the years: featuring work from Mariann B, Wayne and Clarissa from Victoria, and Teagan from Perth.

But don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten our usual favourites. Ron from Queensland stars in the Vendor Profile this edition. We have Streetsheet contributions from Rachel T in Sydney; Johnathan in Brisbane; Daniel K from Adelaide; Jeff S and Dianne from Melbourne; and Steve W from Perth. We also have a snap of The Big Issue’s resident Elvis Presley, vendor Robbo B from Sydney.