CORIO’S Michael Nunn has gone from zero to hero – from homeless to national employment award winner.
The 21-year-old who used to sleep on a mattress behind his local Hungry Jack’s has been named Achiever of the Year at a National Employment Awards for Excellence.
Michael officially left school at the age of nine years but had scant education beforehand.
A troubled family life led to him joining a travelling carnival at 13, when he discovered drugs.
His sole parent moved interstate when he was 16, leaving him nowhere to live.
Occasionally couch surfing, Michael resorted to sleeping on an old mattress behind the Hungry Jack’s.
His dependence on drugs was cemented, leading to crime and jail.
But with the support of Geelong’s Matchworks, he completed a Certificate II in Transport and Logistics, finding work with Cotton On Group.
National Employment Services Association chief Sally Sinclair this week credited Nunn’s “incredible courage and determination” to overcome disadvantage.
