House debates

Monday, 16 October 2017

Constituency Statements

Canning Electorate: Calming Moments

10:33 am

Photo of Andrew HastieAndrew Hastie (Canning, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

Last week I was introduced to some small business owners with an exceptional story, right in the heart of Mandurah, in Canning. Their business was brought to my attention by Mandurah's Employment Facilitator, a new role for our region—delivered by the Minister for Employment—that helps network employers with employment and jobactive agencies. The business is Calming Moments, started by Mark and Cherisse Spray. They are ordinary hardworking Australians who decided to make the most of a tough situation. Mark and Cherisse have a son with high-functioning autism. They were struggling with the sometimes tough and disruptive lifestyle that this brings, when one day someone suggested they buy a weighted blanket. A weighted blanket creates a snug, calming sensation for the user. The blankets have helped people with anxiety, sleep disorders, autism and sensory issues by bringing relief, comfort and a better night's sleep.

Mark and Cherisse liked the blanket but not the price tag—it was over $400—so they decided to make their own. People said they were crazy, but the design worked. Then they decided to try selling them online for $99. Within a week, orders were coming in faster than they could produce the blankets. Five years on, and they are just about the No. 1 weighted blanket company in Australia. Mark calls it a 'journey in baby steps'. What started out as a couple in their living room is now a full-time business, leasing commercial space, employing five local people and manufacturing a custom-designed product using Australian materials. They've also invested in their local community.

At the beginning, Mark and Cherisse committed to give five per cent of their sales to the Autism Association. They've since supported the Peel Autism Network, which provides support for families in the Peel region. Most recently, they decided to help provide job opportunities to people with autism. Maryanne Baker, Mandurah's Employment Facilitator, put them on to Forrest Personnel, who connected Mark and Cherisse with Jason Harris. Jason is now an important part of the team, using his attention for detail to weigh the material for the blankets, which must be 10 per cent of the client's body weight. He says the job 'helps with all the autistic clutter going on in my head'.

Calming Moments are an Australian success story with international potential that's grown up entirely in Mandurah. In the words of Maryanne Baker, it shows:

There are always solutions locally. This is a company born out of having a son with autism, to running a business that feeds back into the disability sector, making a product for autistic children and adults, which then employs back into that region as well.

In a community struggling with unemployment this is fantastic example of how the best solutions are always found locally. I'm incredibly proud to represent people like Mark and Cherisse, and I wish them and their staff every success into the future.