Once a tired old slipway, to now a booming business, Mal Baddeley of Mal's Slipway has poured his heart into reviving the shipwright industry at Narooma.
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However, after recent refurbishments, an act of vandalism caused frustrations.
On Saturday morning, May 29, staff of Mal's Slipway rocked up to work to see the fresh concrete slab covered in black oily muck.
"You could tell it was deliberate," Mr Baddeley said.
Mr Baddeley believed it was sump oil that had been poured down the driveway. Police and NSW Fire and Rescue were called to the scene.
"We were concerned it would pollute the oysters," Mr Baddeley said.
With quick action, the mess was mopped up by Hazmat trained firefighters of Narooma Fire and Rescue.
Mr Baddeley said police were investigating.
"Someone will break their silence on this when they have a laugh and joke about it," he said.
Mr Baddeley was frustrated by the damage after his efforts to improve the business since being closed during the pandemic.
He said "boats were the last thing on people's mind".
Instead of building boats, he spent time tidying the slipway up and developing new business ideas.
Mr Baddeley was most excited about his newest venture, building barbecue boats.
"I saw a couple around the marina, and thought 'why don't we do our own?'" he said.
A prototype sits at the slipway and orders were already coming in.
"We have orders from Byron Bay, Forster and around here - hopefully we will get more down the track," he said.
"It takes about 4-6 weeks to build a barbecue boat."
In his six years running the slipway, Mr Baddeley has looked at different avenues to revive the industry.
He said boat building was once predominant in Narooma, but had died.
"There is no one else in Narooma who does it anymore," he said.
"We have brought back local industry that has been gone for 20 years.
"We are trying to get everything done here locally, if we can."
His team of three work with local contractors to build all sorts of boats, moorings, fiberglass repairs, aluminium welding, wharves and more.
"We are bringing the industry back to Narooma, because repairs were going to Bermagui or Batemans Bay," he said.
After hosting in an Indigenous boat-building program recently, Mr Baddeley hoped to inspire youth to pick up the trade.
"There will always be a future for it, but you have to keep up with the modern times," he said.
"Timber boat building is gone; people want boats that are maintenance free and don't cost as much.
"They always have to be repaired, they run aground, they fall off trailers - you will always have business.
"We would love to get kids at high schools involved through work experience, for them to see what's involved."