Nagle Profile
Emily Handsley Delves
Interview by Saime Yagci (21/05/2015)
Mrs Handsley Delves is a art teacher here in Nagle College. I sat with her to talk to her about her experiences as a member of the Nagle community for many years and to talk to her a bit about her background.
Today is your birthday so firstly Happy Birthday! Speaking of your birth day where where you born and where did you grow up?
I was born at Manley Hospital, in Sydney and I grew up mainly on the northern beaches around Harbord. I moved to the Northern Rivers to Boyron Bay for a little while and then i moved back to Sydney to finish the HSC. I've got three older sisters and they live all around Australia, they're older then me and my mum and dad are no longer alive, there both Australian. Mun and dad were both born in Queensland Rockhampton. My older sister was born in Rockhampton in Queensland, my second older sister was born in New York and my third sister was born also in Sydney.
Lets talk about yor school years, where did you go to primary school?
I went to Harbord Public School in Harbord.
How would you describe yourself as a student, did you get up to any mischief?
I was a little bit naughty I have to be honest. I did me work but i think I was a little bit naught.
What did you do when you finished school, any further studies or work?
I went straight in to going to art school because I decided that I wanted to be an art teacher so I went to what was then called the City Art Institute and its now called University of NSW Art and Design.
Can you tell us a bit about your family now, husbands, kids?
I have a husband, we don't have any children. My husband and I have been married for about 18 years I think actually and we have a lot of fun together.
Is your Husband an artist as well?
Well he is a musician actually. And I'm also a bit of a musician myself so we make music together and he is also a... he said he learn a lot art from me.
Musician haa? Do you play any instruments?
I do. I play the piano, I learnt how to play a classical piano when I was a child through primary school and high school and I picked up the bass guitar in my thirties which is a while ago now and yeah bass guitar and piano that's about it but I also sing.
Have you worked in other schools?
I have worked in a lot of other schools. When I started working as a teacher in 1988, I went from one temporary position to another as casual teacher but what i found out was that I was doing like a whole year at one school ans that would change into a whole year at another school. I think last time I have counted how many school I have taught at, I have taught at 22 high schools. Mainly around Sydney.
you obviously love being a part of the Nagle community. Why is that?
Having taught at so many different schools I have got a pretty good idea on you know what places I like and I'm able to conceive a good indifferent places and things that you know can be changed in places and what I found about Nagle College is that mainly very down to earth people and also big variety of cultural backgrounds which I really enjoy and I guess you know there was really love for art here before i started teaching here so its nice to kind of come into that environment.
How do you picture the Nagle community in the years to come?
I think it is just going to get better and better, I think its got so many good things going for it already, I think that as new principles come thought they can improve on whats other good things that were already here but I think that its going to continue to be a popular place for people to send their daughters to get a catholic education.
How many years have you been a art teacher?
I think well let me think mmm 8,9,10... this is my 27th year of teaching.
A question about art. As an artist how do you know when a art work is finished?
Well sometimes it just a intuitive like a gut feeling, you know that that's it. You get a feeling that if you did any more it will maybe wreck it but its when you recognize that something is kind of all holding itself.
As an artist you do many drawings and paintings. Is there something in particular you like drawing?
I love drawing plants and I think maybe animals. Yeah.
Do you have any goals or particular plans for the future?
yeah, I'd like to, one of my goals is to do more of my creative practice. i find that my job takes up a lot of my time in terms of paper work and that kind of. i like teaching but i feel like I'm not making enough time for my own creativity