New Zealand Man Learns to Read at 66 After Six Decades

Gregory Silby could rebuild a V8 engine, drive trucks across New Zealand, and run heavy machinery. But for six decades, he couldn't read the manuals that came with them.

The 66-year-old from Waiuku spent most of his life "bluffing his way through," matching word shapes on road signs and memorizing landmarks instead of addresses. When hospitals handed him forms, he could only fill in his name and address before staff would ask, "Is that all you can do?"

Silby left school at 16 after years of being caned, placed in corners, and told he'd amount to nothing more than a street sweeper. No one identified his learning difficulties or taught him in a way that made sense. Teachers assumed he wasn't trying hard enough.

He chose work where he could watch, listen, and rely on practical skills rather than paperwork. Farms, factories, and truck driving became his path forward. But his secret followed him everywhere, from job applications to hospital visits.

When friends gave him addresses, Silby learned to match the shapes of letters on street signs. He navigated an entire country without really reading its road signs, developing his own system through sheer determination.

For years, embarrassment kept him from seeking help. He had friends who never knew he struggled to read. But two years ago, something shifted. "Now I'm older, I don't really care what anybody thinks any more," he said.

Silby connected with the Rural Youth and Adult Literacy Trust, which supports about 200 adults each year. He now meets his tutor at the local library every week, learning to sound out words and write with growing confidence.

His tutor introduced him to Jack Reacher novels. Now he reads entire chapters at a time, a milestone that seemed impossible just two years ago.

Why This Inspires

Silby's journey shows it's never too late to learn something new. One in four New Zealanders aged 16 to 65 has low literacy skills, often due to undiagnosed dyslexia, disrupted schooling, or missed early learning opportunities.

Jo Poland, who co-founded the trust helping Silby, emphasizes that low literacy in adulthood isn't about intelligence. Many people slipped through educational cracks that are only now being addressed through structured literacy programs in schools.

Writing remains slow work for Silby. When he needs a word, he starts at the beginning of the dictionary section and scans page by page until something looks right. Then he reads the definition to confirm it's what he needs.

But progress is progress, and Silby is proud of how far he's come. The petrolhead who rebuilt his HQ Holden Statesman V8 is now rebuilding his relationship with words, one sentence at a time.

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