I was born in Brisbane Hospital and had a happy childhood in northern Queensland, but my mother drank a lot and I was often left to look after my younger brothers. I left home at 17 when it became too much. I miss my father – he died in 2000. I’m still in regular contact with my mother and we have a good relationship now. She still lives in Townsville.

I have been deaf since birth due to my mum having chicken …

How closely have you been paying attention to The Big Issue this year? If you’ve spent every spare moment memorising our feature stories, editorials and contents pages, you’ll have a major advantage in our first Big Quiz! This epic quiz comprises 69 questions – all of which have been drawn from this year’s Big Issues. Those scoring fewer than 35 correct answers need to try harder; anyone scoring 60 or above should get out more. 

Also in this issue:

Elmo Keep sinks …

Everyone has to be nice to you on your birthday, so it’s important to stretch out birthday festivities for as long as possible. The Big Issue’s 15th birthday is a superb case study in celebration-stretching: we (officially) partied for three whole weeks! The most recent celebration took place in the capital last week – when more than 100 people came along to celebrate The Big Issue’s Canberra operations with 23 current and past vendors at the ACT Legislative Assembly …

Students from Endeavour Hills Secondary College in Melbourne have released a song to raise awareness about homelessness. The Year 7 students penned the song after visiting The Big Issue office last month. The visit was part of a new subject at the school called ‘community’ , which encourages students to focus on a social cause.

“Our class visited The Big Issue Classroom and were inspired to really make a difference and spread the message about what they learned about homelessness,” teacher Kirsty Letts said.

“They …

When Michael was 21 he fled the angry shouts of his parents’ crumbling marriage, stuck his thumb out on the Brisbane highway and jumped into a car with a crucifix hanging from the rear-vision mirror. Two days later, when the driver dropped him off in Townsville, he was a Christian – and has been one ever since.

But his arrival in Townsville represented the start of five lonely years for Michael. He lived on the streets, spoke to no one …

As the final Harry Potter film – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 – hits the cinemas, we examine the bespectacled boy wizard’s legacy. Daniel Radcliffe talks fame, fortune and spectacles; Angus Attwood describes growing up with Harry; and Sophie Quick explains why, in her book, talking animals will always trump wizards.

Also in this issue:

Lindy Burns explains why public transport still moves her; true-crime writer Liz Porter discovers that real-life heroes are better than cop show cut-outs; Mic …