Mural by Phil Doncon brightens Geraldton’s Active West stadium in celebration of basketball as season tips off

As basketballers take to the stadium for Geraldton’s popular summer competition, they will be met with a wall of colour.

The Geraldton Amateur Basketball Association is in the middle of decorating the front of its stadium with a mural by Phil Doncon to show inclusiveness and diversity, as part of ongoing developments to the local game.

Association administrator Nerolie Gerreyn said the design covered a wall that had been painted white to reduce the temperature inside the stadium.

It include wheelchair basketball, umpires and games controllers, and junior and senior players, with all the clubs represented.

“It was to brighten up the building and represent all the mem-bers of the stadium,” Gerreyn said.

“Everything from wheelchairs, kids’ basketball, seniors and all clubs will be represented along with our representative teams.

“We have spent time on the design to make sure everyone is there. “Phil’s done an amazing job.”

She said people had already been outside with basketballs finding a figure in the mural from their own club or someone they related to, and taking photos in front of it while re-creating the figures’ poses.

The association was hoping the whole wall would be covered by this week. Doncon would then come back and touch up details over the next few weeks.

Gerreyn said the first round of senior basketball had gone well.

“We’ve had our first three senior nights — everything’s gone off nicely,” she said. Doncon, a taekwondo practitioner who has training as a youth worker and does live painting performances involving music and dance, said he got into mural work after COVID-19 shut his regular business last year. He said while murals were a growing focus, live shows were coming back and he was learning new breakdance moves to keep the energy up.

“I’m getting older and should be retiring, but I’m trying to amp it up,” Doncon said. “It’s a good challenge to keep learning.”

Pumas beat Stateside in women’s senior one basketball on Monday 42-41, while Trades beat Chapman Valley, 48-17. Olympians beat Stateside in the men’s senior one, 91-72. Chapman Valley beat Hawks, 91-63, while Pumas beat Trades, 52-43.

Juniors play Friday to Sunday.