Personal life Jelley was born in
Dunedin on 13 August 1922, into a family that was heavily involved in sport. His father,
Albert Edward Jelley, was a first-class cricket umpire. Arch Jelley has siblings: Charley, Mary, Stan and Effie. and joined the Mornington Harrier Club at the age of 18. Jelley married Rachel in 1953, and she was his partner until her death in 2000. In 2002, Jelley married Jean, whom he had met through playing bridge, and between them have eight children, 16 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Teaching career Having served in the Royal New Zealand Naval Volunteer Reserve during World War II acquiring a commissioned officer rank deployed on Russian Convoy duties, Jelley returned to New Zealand to begin studies at
Dunedin Teachers' College and at the
University of Otago. He began his teaching career in rural
Wanganui and then moved to
Wellington. In January 1957, he moved to
Auckland. In 1966, he became the founding principal of
Sunnybrae Normal School on the
North Shore. Jelley served as principal at Sunnybrae for more than 20 years. At the
1976 Montreal Olympics, in addition to John Walker, Jelley also coached
Rod Dixon and
Dick Quax. Jelley retired from coaching once more in 2018.
Mt Albert Bridge Club Jelley's first wife Rachel knew he was a keen card player and encouraged him to attend the Mt Albert Bridge Club, ==Honours and awards==