Whyalla’s new mural to celebrate community connections.

A 33-metre mural now runs through the stadium at Whyalla Recreation Centre, painted during NAIDOC Week by artist Scott Ratham and his mural crew. The artwork is a visual telling of what makes Whyalla a community, rather than simply a place on a map.

Unveiled during NAIDOC Week celebrations at the centre, the mural uplifted locals as they joined in the free family roller-skating activities. On the day, more than 200 skaters came through the stadium dressed in the week's colours of red, black and yellow, moving to a playlist curated by the Whyalla NAIDOC Week Committee. The skates themselves came from a fleet provided by Whyalla City Council, an investment that followed an earlier trial: when the centre borrowed them from The Valleys Lifestyle Centre; with the turnout showing just how much appetite there was for roller-skating in Whyalla.

Unveiling the mural during NAIDOC Week was never just about the wall for Scott, "Whyalla is more than its streets, buildings or coastline, it is its people," Scott reflects, "Without its people, Whyalla is simply a place. It is the relationships we build, the care we show and the stories we share that bring it to life."

The mural's story describes a community built on mutual growth rather than fixed destinations, celebrating the Y’s commitment to connecting local communities and highlighting Scott’s message, that living in Whyalla is “a journey of becoming, where every person is supported to learn, contribute and thrive… Whyalla is, and always will be, about its people."