Phill Stone
Born and bred in Adelaide, Phill moved to Whyalla in 1974, upon accepting a position with local paper, the Whyalla News. During which time, Phill met his wife to be Bronwyn, also a journalist at the paper.
In 1980, Phill accepted a position with Whyalla City Council, as the city’s first (full-time) tourist officer. Phill worked for Council for almost 35 years, in the areas of tourism, media, communications, PD, marketing and event organisation; retiring in 2015.
During Phill’s time at Council, some of his most satisfying and memorable moments include:
- Being a member of the small group tasked with establishing the Whyalla Maritime Museum and relocating the Visitor Centre as part of the development.
- Creating a photographic record of the removal of the former HMAS Whyalla from the sea and its transport overland to its ultimate resting place.
- Organising 20 of the 23 former annual snapper fishing championships which attracted visitors from throughout Australia.
In 2018, Phill ran in the Local Government elections and was successful in being elected as a Councillor on the Whyalla City Council. During this term, Phill served as Deputy Mayor for three of the of the four-year term.
When former Mayor, Clare McLaughlin, announced she would not be re-nominating in the 2022 elections, Phill nominated for Mayor and was successful.