Denis Spooner and Suzi Kerr met at a recovery centre in the wake of the fires, which devastated their hometown of Strathewen just over two years ago.

They joined forces and recently opened Belladona Digital in a rebuilt residence in the town. The company has invested in two Roland DG machines with plans to buy a Gunnar computerised cutting machine.

The plans for expansion are tied to a $52,000 Victorian Bushfire Reconstruction and Recovery Authority business grant the pair is in the process of finalising.

Spooner, a 35-year resident of Strathewen, tragically lost his wife and son in the fires. Kerr has told ProPrint that the business has been an integral part of Spooner’s recovery process.

Kerr said that the company started with the intention of servicing artists in the region, but most demand has come from tourism-driven companies such as local wineries. She said that despite her in-house publishing background and Spooner’s knowledge of computer-cut signage, moving into large-format printing wasn’t an easy accomplishment.

“Getting our heads around the machinery was always going to be tricky, but we have sorted out any issues that we had,” she said.

“Local businesses are still recovering from the fires, but our client base is expanding. We are still figuring out the market, we are offering photos for families, we are looking into home décor and custom blinds.”

Kerr said that Belladonna Digital will use the Gunnar machine to produce custom wine boxes for winery customers, for which it has already been supplying self-adhesive vinyl labels.

Suzi Kerr and Denis Spooner are pictured printing a poster of the original Strathewen Primary School, which was burnt down in the fires. They plan to donate this to the school.

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