Rodney Fumpston's prints drew me and my mop into the west wing whenever I was passing through the dome. I loved the artist's use of simple lines and vibrant colour. At home, whenever we are captivated by the colours of nature as the sun goes down, we will comment: "Look, it's another Fumpston sky."
What did you love most about your job?
Being physically active every day in a beautiful environment, greeting staff as they arrived at work, meeting various artists and watching their processes, the magpies singing on the dome as I went about my duties.
What is the strangest thing you've had to clean at the Sarjeant?
When Sue Cooke's magical Antarctica exhibition, The Paradise Project, was showing at the gallery, I had to don hospital booties and "groom the snow" each morning to return it to its pristine state behind the hut door.
What about individual favourite works from the Sarjeant Collection?
Curiosity by Eugen von Blaas, for me, this is a faithful, everlasting work of elegance and beauty.
How do you think the community will benefit from the redevelopment project?
We will benefit as a community by ensuring Henry Sarjeant's legacy continues in a safe and enhancing environment. To have the space to spread our collection further will give us the joy of coming to know the treasures that at present are mostly hidden. We need the Sarjeant project to proceed and succeed to enliven the city's cultural life.
Finally, what do you love most about Wanganui?
The river and all of its moods, the trees and historical buildings that grace our city, the buzz of the art, in all its forms, giving us creative and colourful people to enjoy.
Although the gallery building will no longer be calling Dalwyne in to work each day, Sarjeant staff will still see her as a volunteer. An avid craftsperson, Dalwyne will now have more time to work on her intricate sewing and craft activities ... although the Sarjeant staff already miss her smile in the mornings.