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1 month ago | 
sbs.com.au | Sandra Fulloon |Allan Lee
Tibor Pinci is holding a flamethrower at the rotating barrel of a repurposed cement mixer where green coffee beans are slowly turning brown. "We call this an open roaster," Pinci said with a wide grin. "It involves a lot of precision because in just seconds the beans can be overdone."Pinci knows from experience by the sound of the beans popping exactly when to stop. "The coffee it makes will have an incredible full aroma, without the bitterness," he said.
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2 months ago | 
sbs.com.au | Sandra Fulloon |Christopher Tan
At a small cafe in Perth's south-east, Indonesian migrant Yayah Scaf is preparing chicken, rice and noodle dishes. The meals are not for her customers; they're given out for free to those in need. "We are going to Perth city, where we will hand out the free food today," said Scaf, 63. "We have a total of 200 packs of hot meals."It may sound like a lot, but Scaf said that, in the current housing crisis, all the food will be gone in less than one hour.
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Jan 29, 2025 | 
sbs.com.au | Sandra Fulloon
Australian wine exports to China have bounced back ahead of Lunar New Year celebrations, according to new data. That's good news for Australia's 2,000 winemakers, including Victoria's Helen Xu.
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Nov 29, 2024 | 
sbs.com.au | Sandra Fulloon
Hamida Hossaini is proudly putting the finishing touches to a canvas of colourful flowers. The refugee from Afghanistan loves art. And thanks to a Neighbourhood House in Melbourne, she is back at an easel again. The 40-year-old said she enjoyed painting classes "back home in Afghanistan". "I could never imagine getting back to classes to practise painting again. Since I moved to Australia, I felt ecstatic," she told SBS News.
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Nov 22, 2024 | 
sbs.com.au | Sandra Fulloon
Senna Lee is preparing to start school next year and is already ahead of the curve. She may only be four-and-a-half years old, but she already speaks multiple languages — including English. "She is learning Cantonese and Japanese, as well as Mandarin and English," her father, Mark Lee, says.
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Nov 15, 2024 | 
sbs.com.au | Sandra Fulloon
At a 'repair cafe' in Sydney's north, volunteers are huddled around tables loaded with goods. "This is a hair straightener, which isn't working," says Ian, a volunteer. "I can't fix it today. So my suggestion is to take it to the community recycling centre."Twice a month in Lane Cove cafe, skilled volunteers, including retired engineers, jewellers and technicians, repair household items — from electrical devices to handbags, toys, clothes and gardening tools.
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Oct 25, 2024 | 
sbs.com.au | Cameron Carr |Sandra Fulloon
Oil spills, plastic pollution and chemicals are slowly poisoning the world's waterways and oceans, according to global research. Almost 1,000 species of marine animals are harmed by ocean pollution, and over 500 locations are now recorded as dead zones where marine life cannot exist. Treating water pollution is a complex challenge. Australian entrepreneur Rob Manning believes he may have a solution in the form of a hydrophobic sponge that separates oil and chemicals from water.
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Sep 20, 2024 | 
sbs.com.au | Sandra Fulloon
Ruth Tate is sitting at the sewing machine in her eponymous boutique in Sydney’s inner west. Tate is a fashion designer who trained in the United Kingdom and now makes her own clothes from original patterns. But she says turning a profit is getting harder during the current cost of living crisis. "Rents have gone up 10 per cent this year, as they did last year as well. Fabric costs have gone up, linen in particular," she said. "The profit margins are getting smaller.
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Sep 6, 2024 | 
sbs.com.au | Sandra Fulloon
At a primary school in Melbourne’s west, a morning delivery of free sandwiches, fresh fruit and yoghurt is underway. The food will nourish a growing number of students who turn up each day without a packed lunch. Teachers say some students arrive without eating breakfast, too. "Demand for free meals has probably increased by about 40 per cent this year and we also do notice a peak later in the week, at the end of a shopping cycle for families," Movelle Primary School principal Karen Wood says.
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Aug 30, 2024 | 
sbs.com.au | Sandra Fulloon
An informal meeting is underway at an employment service in Melbourne. Nyaluet Yan is raising eight children, five of her own and three relatives. The 43-year-old needs to boost her income. "What type of work are you looking for?" the interviewer asks. "I have worked in childcare for 17 years, but after COVID-19, I reduced my hours. I needed to pay more attention to the kids," she says.
