Tim Royle – Western Australia

Tim, aged 37, has struggled with reading, writing, and spelling for most of his life. After being diagnosed with dyslexia in primary school, Tim found high school to be incredibly difficult. He decided to leave in year 9, where he worked various jobs before starting a mature-age apprenticeship as a roof plumber at 23.

After 13 years in the roof plumbing industry, including running his own business, Tim switched careers and joined the Department of Justice as a prison officer. However, his difficulties with reading and writing posed increasing challenges to his role. In 2019, he sought help from Read Write Now in WA to improve his understanding of workplace documents and report writing, which are crucial for his job.

Tim continues to work with Read Write Now to better his literacy knowledge, hoping for a more challenging role at his work pace. Tim remains dedicated to learning and hopes his story inspires others to embark on their own learning journeys.