We are proud of our tutoring and support team
Lizzie Damiano
Lizzie is an experienced and passionate educator and linguist who believes that language is the ultimate tool for empowerment. With a degree in Linguistics and over a decade of teaching experience, she has worked extensively with students across diverse learning needs, developing tailored strategies that build confidence, capability, and a genuine love of learning. Lizzie brings deep expertise in structured literacy approaches, individualised learning plans, and evidence-based intervention methods. She has a particular strength in supporting students who require additional guidance to bridge foundational gaps in reading, writing, and comprehension, while also extending capable learners to reach their full academic potential. Lizzie has worked on the frontlines of language preservation and development within remote Aboriginal communities in WA and NT, where she specialized in teaching Aboriginal children the life-changing skill of reading their own language.
These foundational experiences have shaped Lizzie into an educator who leads with both professional rigor and deep empathy. As the Co-Owner of Literacy for Life, she directs the center’s educational vision, oversees program design, leads tutor development, and closely monitors each student’s progress. Her expertise lies in structured literacy approaches and evidence-based intervention, allowing her to bridge foundational gaps for struggling readers while extending capable learners to reach their full potential.
Lizzie’s approach is uniquely informed by her linguistic background and her long history working with hundreds of students at Literacy for Life since 2011, ensuring that every program is tailored to the way a child’s brain actually processes language. Whether she is developing an individualized learning plan or mentoring her staff, Lizzie is dedicated to fostering a collaborative culture where every child feels understood and every family feels confident in the care they receive.
Our Team
We are proud of our tutoring and support team: capable, intelligent, experienced, rounded, interesting individuals – and very good teachers.
Pam Lane
Pam Lane is a retired teacher who has been using the Scaffolding Literacy pedagogy for over 20 years. She has dedicated her career to education, working as an Infants Teacher, English/History Teacher, Teacher/Librarian, and Literacy Consultant. She started her own company in the Newcastle and Hunter region, training local teachers in Scaffolding Literacy until 2011. In 2012, she moved to Canberra, and completed a Master's degree in History in 2017.
Pam joined Literacy for Life after visiting the office to donate teaching resources. It didn’t take much to persuade her to return to Scaffolding Literacy. She is delighted to find that it still works its magic, helping students in their acquisition of valuable literacy skills.
Pam enjoys physical activities, plays the keyboard, is learning to play the ukulele, and – of course – loves reading!
Kate Lawrence
At the University of Canberra, Kate Lawrence was a paid admin officer, but an unpaid closet writer. She would linger by the door of the literacy research and teaching centre at which Jane worked, enchanted by the books and games, and the children going in and out. After escaping the drudgery of administration, Kate worked as a Learning Support Assistant, but found that playground duty, noise, running, and rush was no way to live either. In 2016, she found her calling at Literacy for Life, helping people improve their literacy skills in a friendly, relaxed environment.
Kate married a lab technician who turned out to be an outdoors man. They are now both involved in Scouting and their son is a Cub Leader. When Kate is not being a princess about spiders in long-drops, she enjoys walking, canoeing, reading mystery and fantasy novels, playing Dungeons & Dragons, writing letters, doing word puzzles, trying new art media and dancing.
Mary Lynn Mather
Mary Lynn Mather loves words and she has been playing with them for as long as she can remember. She’s an experienced journalist who has written stories for magazines, newspapers and websites. In addition to holding degrees in Journalism and Literature, Mary Lynn has a PhD in English and Creative Writing from the University of Adelaide. She even crafted an experimental novel for her research.
Mary Lynn has lectured at universities and other tertiary bodies, both in Canberra and South Africa. She runs writing courses when she isn’t taking guided tours through the National Gallery of Australia or having fun at Literacy for Life.
Bella Hawke
Bella joined Literacy for Life in 2024. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Primary Education with a specialisation in Health and Physical Education at the University of Canberra. Her passion for education, particularly her enthusiasm for mathematics, has driven her commitment to teaching. Bella is dedicated to collaborating with others to foster confidence and skill development in her students. In her leisure time, Bella is an accomplished athlete and has proudly represented both the ACT and NSW in national indoor cricket competitions.
Georgia Claridge
Georgia Claridge joined Literacy for Life in 2022, driven by her love of reading, writing, language, and literature. She loves supporting people to achieve their best by boosting their confidence to approach new problems. She believes in equal access to high-quality literacy education for all.
Georgia has a double degree in science and visual arts from ANU. Her specialties in science are biology, chemistry, and statistics, and in visual arts are formal academic writing and project planning. She enjoys working with people in a team and is passionate about learning and teaching in a supportive work environment alongside like-minded tutors at Literacy for Life. Her long-term career goal is to become a practising doctor in clinical genetics.
Outside of work, Georgia has a passion for visual arts and spends her spare time painting and creating miniatures. She is deeply interested in medical biology and genetics and can talk for hours on these subjects. She also loves baking and gardening, growing her own vegetables to cook delicious meals. Her favourite fiction genre is fairy tales, particularly the works of Hans Christian Andersen, and her favourite non-fiction genre is art history.
Ciaran Lane
Since Kindergarten, Ciaran has been one of ‘those’ people who are delightful, intelligent, patient, helpful, caring, supportive, and involved in community. He has always been a teacher, even before he knew he was.
Ciaran has been a tutor at Literacy for Life since 2015. Initially, he joined the team because we asked him to! He was good at maths, liked talking about maths, liked sharing the joy of maths, and liked working with people (often on maths problems). He soon realised his love for tutoring and how much he loves working at Literacy for Life.
Ciaran holds an ANU double degree in Actuarial Studies and Science, and also works in the public service. Ciaran's passion lies in helping people learn and build their confidence. He takes immense pleasure in answering the question, "When will I use this in the real world?" when his students inevitably ask it.
In his free time, Ciaran enjoys running, listening to music, being outdoors, and experimenting with hair colour!
Lynne McVeigh
Lynne is a Kiwi - proudly born and raised in New Zealand. But then she branched out!
Lynne learnt Latin, French and German, was a secretary in Dunedin, a waitress in North Wales, a waitress in Scotland, and spent five years working and travelling extensively in the UK. She moved to Canberra to join her husband and discovered the joys of dog ownership and the Australian bush.
Lynne’s travels in Asia and Europe prepared her for her first year of teaching which was in an Introductory English Centre for migrant children. She has taught in mainstream classes and in Special Education settings.
Lynne joined Literacy for Life as a tutor, where she loves spending time with children and being surprised by their insights and their innovative suggestions. She enjoys her teaching and enjoys the students tickling her sense of humour.
In her free time, Lynne enjoys birdwatching, walking, contemporary dance, reading, catching up with friends, gardening, and sewing.
Cassandra Hall
Motivated by her deep love of languages, Cassandra earned an Honours degree in English Language from Melbourne University, having studied English and English Literature, including Old English and Middle English, both of which she still delights in.
Cassandra has worked in long day-care settings, as a full-time nanny, and as an integration aide for students in Years 5 and 6. Throughout her career, she has been interested in Steiner education, in children who need extra support, and in children having different ways of learning. With these enduring interests, Cassandra joined Literacy for Life in 2017.
Cassandra’s interests include historical dancing and costuming, exploring different cultures, and studying her own family history through genealogy.
Jane Stirling - Founder
Jane is the original founder of Literacy for Life and has been its Director since its inception in 2008. Jane holds a Bachelor of Education degree and a Master of Education (Honours) degree specialising in literacy education. She has taught in early childhood, primary, senior high school, tertiary, and adult settings in Australia and overseas. Jane was the coordinator of a university research and teaching program working with families whose children struggled to make age-appropriate literacy gains. This is where the teaching approach used with both children and adults at Literacy for Life was developed. It was Jane's learning about this pedagogy that gave her access to an educational and career path that she could explore with passion. At Literacy for Life, when we say, 'We teach literacy and numeracy', Jane is proud that we say it with confidence and as a statement of achievement. We teach children and adults the literacy and numeracy skills, understandings, and strategies that enable independence, and we continue to build on those strategies and understandings to improve and progress. Outside of Literacy for Life, Jane undertakes wildlife monitoring in national parks, and in her spare time likes to garden, hike, camp, ride, sail, and read.