Veteran SBS newsreader and journalist Lee Lin Chin has announced her retirement from the SBS news desk. Recognised as a fashion hero and Australian icon, Chin presented her last news bulletin on Sunday night.
This final appearance came after Chin announced her resignation on Thursday, 26 July. Asked why she was retiring, Chin said there were many factors which had influenced her decision. “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. So now that I work zero days that issue has been addressed,” Chin said. “Having spent the bulk of my professional life at SBS, this isn’t by any means an easy decision,” she said. “I shall be leaving a happy and satisfying role as a newsreader. My friends and colleagues for whom I have fervent respect will be deeply missed.”
SBS managing director Michael Ebeid said Chin was “truly one of a kind”, and that the broadcaster would miss her colourful personality on television screens on the weekend. “Lee Lin embodies everything that SBS stands for and will always be a part of the SBS family. We respect her decision to embrace new projects and wish her all the very best for the future,” he said.
Chin was born to Chinese parents in Jakarta, Indonesia, and grew up in Singapore. She emigrated to Australia in 1980 and began work at SBS as a translator on Chinese language films. Later she moved to the SBS World News team presenting the weekend bulletins, where she remained for the rest of her career with the broadcaster. Recently Chin has been involved with comedy sketches for SBS Viceland’s The Feed where she has made fun of her newsreader persona. This, combined with her humorous and playful presence on Twitter has amassed her a large base of young fans. In 2016, Chin was nominated for a Gold Logie, an honour which recognises the most popular personality on Australian television.
Asked if she had a message for fans on Sunday she told SBS News “I’m not disappearing from the face of the earth, so if they see me I will have all the time in the world to engage with them … as long as they don’t ask for selfies.”
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