Bilya Maali and The Laser Shark
The story of the inception of the Bilya Maali Collection from The Laser Shark, an Indigenous small business in Baldivis, is as family-centred as the rest of the Laser Shark story, with a beautiful back drop of connecting with country and culture. The Laser Shark shop creates wall art, signage, homewares, children’s and educational items, and also creates custom pieces, and sustainability features heavily in their process.
Matt and Shannon, its founders and owners, took a moment to share their story with Southern Harbour during this busy, special time that is NAIDOC Week 2023, a season of the year when we get the lovely opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, history and achievements.
How would you describe The Laser Shark as a business, and what is its inception story?
Shannon wanted a CO2 laser to add to her growing list of hobbies, and it was an expensive bit of equipment. Matt made the comment that if she could sell some things on the marketplace to recoup the cost of the laser then that would be ideal. Because he's a stay at home parent, she listed a few things on his Facebook marketplace. Three weeks later we had paid off the laser and The Laser Shark Shop was born.
Matt had spent years as a chef, but when Covid hit, Shannon was heavily pregnant. Hospitality and Covid were not good matches so he quit his job as a FIFO chef and transitioned to a stay at home parent. The Laser Shark Shop became the perfect solution.
What is the Bilya Maali Collective?
For NAIDOC week 2022, Shannon designed an Acknowledgement of Country plaque for the sole purpose of acknowledging the week on our social media accounts, it was never intended to be a product we sold. Once we pressed post, the messages came rolling in with businesses, schools and daycares all over Australia wanting our plaques. Understanding her cultural responsibility and seeing the opportunity to normalise her culture in the classroom, she decided to launch an entire range of Indigenous items. We launched The Bilya Maali Collective as a way of showcasing her art, inspired by her Torres Strait Islander and Wujal Wujal heritage, and influenced by her travels through remote Indigenous communities across Australia. We felt our Indigenous range deserved its own platform. We stock so many products, we didn't want that range getting lost on The Laser Shark Shop.
Which language is the Bilya Maali name from? Do you have a specific connection to that language?
We named our business The Bilya Maali Collective after our two daughters, Bilya and Maali - meaning River and Black Swan respectively in the Noongar language. We never set out to name our children Noongar words, but after a heated discussion about naming our first born, River, Matt found the name Bilya - meaning River. We both fell in love with it and thought it was a beautiful tribute to the Whadjuk Noongar Boodja in which she was born and the land in which we were raised. Similarly in naming Maali - as soon as we found the name it just felt right. And we decided to name the business after them in hopes that one day it will be their art showcased on our products. Art is such a raw way to be connected to culture and such an important one in our family and hopefully through art we can raise our children strong in culture.
Where are your mob from? How long have you been in Baldivis?
Shannon's mob is from Erub (Darnley Island) in the Torres Strait Island and with a lot of research and digging she's also traced her heritage to Wujal Wujal in Bloomfield, in Far North Queensland.
Her family moved from Far North Queensland to Perth when she was very young so the Noongar Boodja has always felt like home. In 2017 we bought our family home in Baldivis to be closer to where Shannon works as we planned to start our family.
How do eco-friendliness and sustainability relate to your business?
The Laser Shark Shop and its subsidiaries prioritise sourcing materials and products from sustainable and environmentally responsible suppliers. This involves using recycled or upcycled materials for our products and partnering with suppliers who follow sustainable manufacturing practices. Our shop also focuses on reducing energy consumption by using energy-efficient lighting systems, equipment, and appliances. Additionally, we have fitted out our workshop with renewable energy sources. Our shop is completely powered by solar panels to power our operations alongside a fume extraction air purifying equipment to ensure our emissions are as low as practicable.
We have implemented waste reduction strategies, such as minimizing packaging materials, promoting reusable or recyclable packaging options, and encouraging customers to bring their own bags. We prioritse recycling as most of our off cut wood and acrylic is turned into other products. We adopt eco-friendly production methods where possible, this involves using non-toxic and biodegradable materials, minimising water usage with our closed loop chiller system, and ensuring proper waste management in the manufacturing process.
We believe in sustainable and environmentally conscious suppliers and packaging. It is our belief that businesses must play a central role in solving the global climate crisis, especially as rising sea levels have a direct impact on the Torres Strait Islands, and as a result we have programs in place to offset our carbon footprint.
What’s the one piece of advice you’d give to a new business owner?
Set boundaries for your work / life balance. Its great to put in 100% effort but it shouldn't come at the cost of your home life! Small Business ownership can consume your life if you let it!
How would you describe a perfect local day out?
Our girls love the outdoors and going bush and we are lucky enough in Baldivis to have the Baldivis Children's Forest at our fingertips. We love to go exploring through there, spotting birds and connecting to the land. On hot days having Point Peron and the Rockingham Foreshore a stone throw away is also a winner in our books!
