Lee Lin Chin has been the iconic face of SBS World News for more than 25 years. Sadly, after a prolific career as a newsreader for the station, Lee Lin has decided to leave.With characteristically witty flare, Lee Lin Chin told Ten Daily, "There's not one big reason, there's many small to medium-sized reasons [] One reason I shall reveal however is that working two days a week didn't give me enough time to devote to the pub and re-reading the complete works of Shakespeare.”Lee Lin’s quirky style and unparalleled Twitter presence has made her a cultural icon. Some call it cult status, but to me she feels more like family, a conversation starter in living rooms across the country.“Every day at least five people will approach me and say that they love me on the news and that they watch every week. It does feel slightly as if I am letting them down by leaving. Please don't hate me,” she told Ten Daily.Lee Lin was a hero, and proof to young migrants like me that there was a place for us in the discussion of news, politics and world affairs.She was born in Jakarta but raised in Singapore to Chinese parents. She’s fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin, English and Fukien. She nabbed a gig at SBS translating Chinese-language films, then moved to ABC Radio before returning to SBS World News where she worked as a weekend news presenter for over 25 years.Although she’s leaving SBS, Lee Lin told Ten Daily, “Retirement is death and I don’t plan to die anytime soon.”When asked about the future, she quipped “I've recently started a production company. We already have two shows in development, a comedy travel show with ITV Australia and a comedy espionage show with emotive content."“I'm also looking into the podcast world, I want to host a podcast all about The Beatles.”Lee Lin’s final night on SBS World News will air on Sunday night.For more, follow Mahmood on Twitter or Instagram
Advertisement