Executive Committee

A dedicated diverse group of people brought together through their shared love of and belief in the transformative role of the arts in society

Jon Elbery - Chair

About

A public company director for decades, now director of a small business consultancy company and a web development business.

Chairman of the Kalamunda Chamber of Commerce and member of the City of Kalamunda Economic Development Advisory Committee

Jon has played music since he was a child and is committed to a vibrant arts scene in the Perth Hills

About

An experience qualified Electrician working in the building and construction industries, Shaun has developed a skill-set as valuable as it is diverse. Working independently, or as part of a team, an excellent communicator and a capable tradesperson who is comfortable getting dirty in a hands-on role, or taking a leadership position.
His profession provides exposure to cutting-edge technology, and high expectations are placed on standard of work, the importance of efficient time-management and the value of utilising quality tools, and equipment. These characteristics have proven to be increasingly beneficial and readily transferable to his role as Vice-Chair of the Blue Arts Fly NFPThe following may be considered a testimonial, written on his behalf by Sian Johanna, proprietor of Ladybird Music and CEO of Blue Arts Fly Inc
“Shaun Coffey has made a massive positive impact amongst his friends, colleagues and business partners with his hard work and dedication to the local music scene. Shaun invested in Ladybird Music Productions in 2018 to fulfil his vision of a broader, more diverse music scene in the Perth Hills, accessible to the community, mentoring up and coming artists and the youth in the area. Shaun’s knowledge of artists and genres along with skills in event marketing, promotion have ensured that this organisation successfully operates in an industry relying heavily on the unspoken motto “it’s not what you know, but who”. Shaun’s experience includes  managing bands, running events and managing events for WAMfest, Kalamunda Markets and the annual Kalamunda Music Festival.

Shaun Michael Coffey - Vice Chair

Sian McMillan - Secretary and CEO

About

Siân McMillan is the secretary and CEO and also one of the co-founders of Blue Arts Fly, which was inspired by her passion for all things music, particularly young musicians looking for a local platform for performance in her local area of Kalamunda. Running two successful businesses, holding a position on the Arts Advisory Board for the City of Kalamunda, Siân is constantly striving to make her Perth hills hometown thrive. With an extensive history within the Perth music scene,  In 2016 Sian started Ladybird Music Productions, a business designed to help artists from studio to stage, incorporating recording, tuition, promotion and event planning. Sian was amazed and inspired by the musical talent in Perth and saw a need for more performing spaces in the Perth Hills so made it her mission to open up new venues and spaces for musicians and the community which began her drive and passion within the arts.

Sian started her journey in event promotion and organisation with a monthly residency at The Kalamunda Hotel with her signature night titled “Live At The Kala” which saw record numbers of patrons attend and set the scene with high quality musical acts. With the success of the Kalamunda Hotel, other opportunities arose and Sian would host regular open mic afternoons at a number of venues around the Perth Hills, expressly designed for the more amateur and more junior performer, which would give them a “safe” place to play, as opposed to regular open mic nights which are usually in crowded pubs and bars and can be quite daunting to young performers. Sian continued her work around the Perth Hills with shows at “pop up” venues. These venues were coffee and art houses, distilleries, cafes, restaurants, record stores, clubs, even a Rum, Ribs and Reggae Festival and her personal favourite was a Summer Sundowner at Araluen Botanical Park which saw a lineup of 5 quality bands, children’s entertainment, food vans and an amazing community vibe throughout. Sian organised the local leg for a national tour for renowned guitarist, Jeff Lang and also, Perth talent, Noah Dillon for separate concerts. Sian worked tirelessly on organising, marketing, set up and down and even ran the mixing desk for each show but she couldn’t have done it without her dedicated team, Shaun Coffey and Jon Elbery who supported and worked many a long night on many a show to help these shows run smoothly. Whilst Sian has enjoyed the music and meeting musicians, creating connections and contacts, her passion was mostly fulfilled by the enjoyment she saw in the patrons who would attend her events. With Ladybird she gained a reputation for quality acts, welcoming energy and fairness in pay to performers, and her love for her work was infectious with all who attended and gave her the fuel to keep doing what she loves best.  

About

  • A band manager and booker since 2014 working with acts including: Lights Of Berlin, Young Robin, Falloway, Choking Stanley, The Devil In Miss Jones, Stop The Georgians, Placid Jack, Streetlight Foxes
  • Manage Band Aide in Perth assisting young bands and musicians with consultation, management, bookings, merchandise, promotion, media liaison and radio contact
  • A photographer with many live music images archived at the State Library of Western Australia
  • A promoter and putting on events for bands as well as small festival events
  • Tutor guitar and vocals
  • Maintain music equipment and perform guitar and bass setups and minor repairs
  • Music production and having worked with: Young Robin, Choking Stanley, St James Sirens, Falloway, Stop The Georgians.
  • Stage manager and photographer with WAM over the years.
  • Endorsement work for world famous Australian instrument manufacturer Cole Clark Guitars including for Birds of Tokyo, Gyroscope, Karnivool, The Siren Tower, Simon Kelly Band, Sons of Rico
  • Consultant for the City of Gosnells annual ‘Gozzy Rock’ music competition 30th Anniversary event. It was the biggest one to date, had the most bands apply, the most publicity, and best attendance.

J-F James - Treasurer

Ruth Goncalves

About

Ruth grew up singing with her mum (she was a beautiful singer – she was head choir girl in convent in Spain)

Ruth has been in 7 bands since her early 20’s – mainly singing.

Falling in love with fitness she started her own PT  business over eight years ago, and been doing that successfully ever since.

She has recently branched out into an exciting different business direction as a  Sonic Meditation facilitator using frequency – always comes back to music. 

Ruth is an accomplished speaker and also delivers a regular podcast,

About

Gem is a singer-songwriter, music teacher, and promoter based in Kalamunda. 

Throughout her last few years in the local scene, Gem has put on community based events supporting upcoming artists in Perth, including a livestream series “Grapejuice Does a Livefest” and “Hangout at the Hyde”. 

Gem is an accomplished musician and singer and is the founder and front of local band Freestyle. She is responsible for the social media and design component to Blue Arts Fly.

 

Gem Addison