Success story: John, adult learner

​John was inspired to learn to read and write by a grandson who wanted to know his life story.

“When I was in England, I don’t remember going to school. 

I immigrated to Tasmania when I was 12 years old and was taken in by Boys Town. At Boys Town, I worked on the farm which I loved. As an adult, I worked as a butcher and a cleaner. I still didn’t know how to read and write, but I was good at lots of other things. 

A couple of years ago, my grandson showed interest in hearing about my life story. This inspired me to learn to read and write. So I went to the library and was matched with a volunteer tutor who helped me start learning from a very basic level. 

Now, I can read any book fluently. I can now read Agatha Christie novels and books over 600 pages long. I have written some letters to the editor that have been published in the Mercury newspaper. I can now communicate by text message with my tutor and I have also written my life story for my grandson to read! I am now booked into some computing classes so I can use my phone and a computer better. 

I am still coming to the library and working on my writing and spelling, but I have improved so much. My tutor has been fantastic and I love being able to read!”