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17 JULY - 23 JULY 2026
Kiama Minnamurra Kiama Downs Jamberoo Gerringong Gerroa
Mural mania
Myah Garza
A
dreamy new mural is turning heads on Nowra's streets, but for Youth Centre director Raschelle Sherwood, the vibrant artwork is about much more than brightening a building. "I just wanted to put the Youth Centre back on the map," Sherwood said. "For some reason it's got quite a negative community stigma. A lot of people think it's closed down and has been for a decade, which isn't the case,” she said. “ I wanted to breathe new life into the place and let people know we are open for business." Sherwood has been director for 18 months, taking the reins of the community facility after spending more than 20 years working in youth services across a range Kiama Bowlo
of roles, including residential out-of-home care and child protection. Leading the Youthie, she says, had long been an ambition. "I've lived here for 13 years and every time I drove past this place, I would say to my partner, 'Oh my God, if I got my hands on this place.'" "So when the position came up, I absolutely had to apply for it. I was fortunate enough to get it." Since then, she's been steadily transforming both the building and its image. The once-tired exterior has been rendered, the awning repainted, new neon signage installed thanks to funding from Bendigo Bank, and now the mural has become the latest piece of the puzzle. "I've been here with a roller from the ground, just trying to jazz it up a little bit," she
laughed. The mural itself was almost a year in the making. After spotting work by internationally recognised artists Krimsone and Scott Nagy – Sherwood knew they were perfect for her vision. "I absolutely love the way they work together and the quality of the outcomes," she said. "I contacted them about a year ago and asked them, 'How much does it cost to do a mural?' Then I said, 'Okay, I'll get back to you when I raise the money.' "It was nearly 12 months to the date before I was able to ring back and say, 'Alright, it's time.'" Rather than arriving with a detailed brief, Sherwood took an unusual approach. She put her trust in the artists’ hands. "Absolute creative
freedom." she said. “It's one of the first times in his 20-year career that he's been given that freedom.” "I didn't have any expectations. We had a few conversations and that's what they came up with." The result has already achieved exactly what she hoped. The mural has attracted plenty of attention since being completed in recent weeks, with photos circulating widely on local community pages– letting everyone know “the Youthie” is very much alive. "That's exactly what I wanted—to attract people to look at the place that would normally not pay it any second mind." Continued on page 3
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