I want to tell you something about this brand that you won't find on a product label.

Stellavan & Papa wasn't born in a boardroom or a business school. It was born on the Gold Coast, probably sometime after bedtime, in the quiet hours when the kids were asleep and I was thinking about what I wanted to give them — not for Christmas, but for life.

Before the Kids

For most of my thirties, I lived the life I'd always imagined. I travelled. I explored. I said yes to everything and went everywhere. It was a full, wonderful, selfish life — and I mean that in the best possible way.

But somewhere along the way, I started feeling like there had to be something more. Not better - just more. More meaning. More permanence. More love that stays.

At 36, I made a decision that changed everything. I decided to have children. Alone. As a single gay dad, through surrogacy in Thailand.

People thought I was crazy. Some still do. But I knew - with the kind of certainty you can't really explain - that this was exactly right.

Estelle and Donavan

My daughter Estelle and my son Donavan came into the world and rearranged everything I thought I knew about myself.

The name Stellavan & Papa? That came from a champagne evening with a dear friend, trying to find a way to weave my two kids into something that would last. Estelle. Donavan. Stellavan. And Papa - because that's who I am now, and it's the best thing I've ever been called.

They're 12 and 13 now. They were born in Thailand, and we travel back regularly so they know their heritage, their culture, the country that gave them their beginning. We eat the food, we walk the streets, we stay with people who knew them before they knew themselves.

That's what I wanted for them. Curiosity. Openness. A big life.

The Toy That Started Everything

When Estelle and Donavan were little, I went looking for toys that reflected where we live. Australia. This extraordinary, beautiful, wildly unique country full of animals that exist nowhere else on earth.

I couldn't find what I was looking for. Everything was generic. Imported. Plastic. Nothing that said "this is Australian" in a way I was proud to put in my children's hands.

So I made one.

The first Kirra the Koala puzzle took a long time to get right. The timber had to be sustainable. The paints had to be non-toxic. The design had to be beautiful enough to sit on a shelf, not just in a toy box. And it had to do more than one thing - because the best things always do.

Puzzle. Building blocks. Home decor. Three things in one, with a timber stand so it could live on a shelf long after playtime was over.

When I finally held the finished product, I felt something I wasn't expecting. Pride. Not just in the toy - but in what it represented. A father making something beautiful for his children, in a country he loves, using materials he believes in.

What This Brand Is Really About

Stellavan & Papa is about more than wooden puzzles. It's about the belief that the things we put in children's hands matter - that beautiful, thoughtful, honest objects shape the way children see the world.

It's about Australian animals that deserve to be celebrated - the koala, the kangaroo, the cockatoo, the dolphin — creatures that are part of our children's story whether they know it yet or not.

It's about sustainability, because Estelle and Donavan will inherit this planet and I refuse to contribute to its destruction for the sake of a cheaper price point.

And it's about the quiet moments. A child and a parent, sitting on the floor together, working out where the pieces go. Talking. Laughing. Being present.

Those are the moments I wanted more of. Those are the moments Stellavan & Papa was made for.

What's Coming Next

The range is growing. New animals are coming this year. And soon - adult puzzles, featuring Australia's breathtaking native flowers. Because beauty and play aren't just for children.

Every puzzle we make is a little piece of this country, held in small hands, placed carefully into place.

I hope it brings your family as much joy as it has brought mine.

With love from the Gold Coast, Australia

Tony — Papa