Farewell to PE Stalwart Des Upton

In December 1988, Desley Upton went to her letterbox and discovered an envelope addressed to her from St Margaret’s then principal Miss Heath. Thinking it was a polite rejection letter, as it was very difficult to secure a physical education position in a private school in the late 1980s, she was delighted to discover it was a letter of offer for a position as a secondary PE teacher at St Margaret’s.

‘I was very humbled to have been given the opportunity and very proud,’ Desley said, ‘and I have loved coming to work and teaching here every day since.’ Desley enjoyed her very sporty school days at Clayfield College, excelling in softball, netball, ballgames and athletics. She graduated from Kelvin Grove Teachers College, which she maintains was, back then, the best place for an HPE undergraduate degree because students were very involved in both practical and theoretical aspects of the discipline. ‘I even did pole vaulting and hammer throwing,’ she laughs, revealing her second major was drama – useful when performing in front of a class every day. After stints in Rockhampton, Laidley and Ipswich, Desley started the St Margaret’s position in 1989. Desley echoed the sentiments of recently retired Mary Surtees when she said in those days ‘you did everything’. ‘We were coaching before and after school and at lunch, as well as teaching physical education.’ There have been many changes in the make-up of health and physical education offerings over the years as both core and elective subjects, and Desley has been heavily involved in its development throughout her career, as the HOF for Health and Physical Education at St Margaret’s for 25 years, as well as at state level for Health Education. Desley also casually mentions she won two awards, visiting Government House to receive them, but is too modest to even remember the details. Further investigations revealed the Royal Life Saving Society Commonwealth Council awarded Desley a Service Medal in 2005 and a Bar to Service Medal in 2010, both for recognition for valuable services rendered to the society. Desley is a passionate advocate of the benefits of health and physical education, saying that it encourages participation and a lifelong enjoyment of physical activity no matter what an individual’s level of proficiency. It promotes a healthy lifestyle and also provides opportunities students may not necessarily pursue beyond school but at least they have had exposure to a wide variety of games, sport and activities.

Principal Ros Curtis said Desley had been an institution at St Margaret’s, with many past students sharing their fond memories of her classes.

‘She has been a great advocate for both Health and Physical Education and is well-respected by her peers,’ Ms Curtis said. When asked about the new sports precinct, Desley exclaims: ‘I’ve died and gone to heaven!’ ‘It’s made a massive difference, just being able to accommodate so many classes in each of the spaces across the gym and courts, as well as up to four classes in the pool at any one time if necessary. ‘Having all the sports and HPE staff centrally located and in the heart of the precinct also makes life a lot easier, movement between lessons more efficient, and collaboration across the primary and secondary sports and HPE staff seamless.’ Retirement plans reveal an altogether different side of this passionate sportswoman: a talent for art and writing. The closing chapters of a young adult fiction novel ‘Tails from Princess Jellybean’s Backyard’, inspired by her father’s corgi, await their final touches, and when she is not penning words onto blank pages, she will be letting her artistic inspiration take shape on blank canvasses.

This will all take place on the idyllic Sunshine Coast, which like for many of us, was a favoured holiday destination for Desley and her family. We wish Desley all the best in retirement and can’t wait to get acquainted with that rascally corgi, Princess Jellybean.