Maali is the local Nyungar word for Black Swan and Mia meaning house, dwelling, camp or home. The Black Swan is important to the Nyungar people and is symbolic to the Swan River.

Dale Tilbrook, Director of Maali Mia. “We have been doing the same type of business since 1996 however we just had a change of ownership and name change. We were originally making boomerangs as a commercial enterprise and this led us into opening our own our retail outlet. I have to thank Ken Colbung for this. I was encouraged by Ken to create a business that promoted Nyungar culture and he had a particular interest in boomerangs.

So that is where it started. My background is in retail and marketing and I worked 8 years in London and 7 years in Perth in big retail organisations and I had no idea about transferring those skills into a business centred around culture. It was Ken who encouraged me to do that. He said, “you have got what it takes, you have to put your hand up and say, I am a Nyungar person doing this”. So he is my mentor and patron and obviously with his encouragement I became very receptive to the idea and it was just sow a few seeds and tell me how important it is to actually stand up and acknowledge myself as a Nyungar woman and do something. He was always on at me about “stand up and tell the world that I am a Nyungar woman doing this”. I was hesitant at first because I thought well “who cares” but after 8 years of doing this I found out that a lot of people care and it is a really important thing to do. I am very happy it (tourism) gave me an opportunity to get in touch with my Nyungar heritage after having drifted along knowing that I had a Nyungar heritage but knowing very little about it because you certainly did not learn about it at schools and you only picked up little bits from your family and no-one talked Aboriginal history when I was growing up.

People talked stories but no one got down to the nuts and bolts of our history. Our father was of Nyungar (Wardandi) descent and our mother was English. Being raised in the North, we didn't learn much about Nyungar culture or about our family. Reconnecting with our Nyungar roots has been a liberating experience for us. Learning about our family and culture has been an important part of this journey. My father's mother came from Busselton. Her maiden name was Sayers.

I run this business with my younger brother Lyall. I was born in the Pilbara and Lyall in the Kimberleys. I was encouraged by Ken Colbung to create our (Nyungar) original business of making returning boomerangs in 1996, and he has remained my mentor and inspiration. We have expanded since then to include other items and the retail side of the business."

Maali Mia is an Aboriginal (Nyungar) Cultural Centre, Gallery, Gift Shop and Craftworks. Located on the site of the historic West Swan Primary School in Henley Brook that was established 1896. The original Principal's House and Classroom are the showcases for paintings, artifacts, boomerangs, didgeridoos and a host of colourful gifts and collectables. Our selection includes a wide variety of framed and unframed Aboriginal art; hand decorated glassware, pottery and wooden gift items; carved and painted emu eggs; traditional and contemporary jewellery; postcards and prints; and Aboriginal and Australian music cassettes and CD's.

The artists who contribute to the Gallery and Gift Shop come from many of the Indigenous language groups in Western Australia but there are also artists from the Northern Territory. These include Nyungar, Yamatji, Nunda, Wadjerri, Ngaanatjarra and Wongatha, the smaller items are mainly produced by our local Nyungar people, we are a cottage industry. The property the business operates from was purchased by the Indigenous Land Corporation. The Deed of Grant is held by Manguri Land Enterprises and the property has been set aside to encourage economic development projects by local Aboriginal people. Under the Deed of Grant, it cannot be sold or mortgaged.

Maali Mia has moved its Aboriginal Art Gallery and Craft Shop to a purpose built dwelling situated at 10070 West Swan Road, West Swan. The workshop will remain at its current location.

CONTACT:
Ms Dale Tilbrook or Mr Lyall Tilbrook
Maalinup Art Gallery and Craft Shop
10070 West Swan Road,
WEST SWAN
Telephone: +618 92960704
Facsimile: +618 92960705
Mobile: +61 0411 112 450
Web: http://www.maalimia.com.au/
Email: dalet@iinet.net.au