HEATHER Sparks was born in Sydney and moved to Beechworth in 1975 with her husband Max and opened and ran the Settlers Art Store until they sold the business 22 years later. The couple with their son shifted to Wodonga where they lived for two decades before returning to Beechworth.
What did you do workwise and what do you do now?
I trained to be an art teacher in the late sixties and took up a post at The Scots School Albury after being a department head of a secondary school in Wollongong. I have also worked in several schools in the local district including a year at Beechworth Secondary College.
As an artist, I have painted many old houses, the town, the Gorge, and Beechworth's landscape using various media – whatever suits the image. I am going to exhibit some of my work this year with a very mixed collection from my life here and from travels overseas.
What brought you to your teaching career?
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I had been inspired by a great art teacher when studying at high school. A scholarship back in those days worth $21.10 a fortnight to help with studies at teachers' college, had been a great drawcard too.
What did you love about your work?
I liked working with secondary students and helping them to bring their creative ideas to fruition.
What do you do in the community?
I re–joined the Beechworth Arts Council (BAC) now that we have returned to live here after a 20–year break due to work commitments. We're all volunteers at BAC, and volunteering is great for everyone. I find it's a rewarding way to give back to the community as well as being with like–minded people. BAC held a successful four–day art exhibition last week between May 4 and May 7 in the historic Beechworth Town Hall with entries from Beechworth artists and those around the region. BAC is keen to harness all that creative energy.
Is there an important community issue that you think needs addressing?
In 1988 the BAC unveiled the tapestry in the Town Hall. The tapestry had been a community project auspiced by BAC in 1983 and finished in 1988 for Australia's bicentennial celebrations. Now 35 years later its condition is worthy of more care. It is a valuable asset owned by the community and both the tapestry and the hall are desperately in need of 'TLC'. Preservation of the Town Hall would lead to financial gain as the hall would be available for many more functions.
What do you see as one of the most important current world issues?
Climate change.
If the person you would most like to meet came to Indigo Shire (past or present), or was already here, who would that be, what would you show them, and why?
I would like that person to be interested in Australian history, and have chosen Sydney Morning Herald journalist Peter FitzSimons AM. He is the author of several historically based books, including "Ned Kelly: The Story of Australia's Most Notorious Legend." I would show him the incredible granite buildings around town, the historic Town Hall, the Burke Museum, see him enjoy the food and wine of the North East, and of course fit in a bit of rugby at a local game. The intact architecture and the history of the town are the most important things Beechworth has to offer tourists in the long term.
What book are you reading?
'The Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting Along with Difficult People' by American writer Brandon Toropov.
