Corporate town of Semaphore

The Semaphore Library is a heritage-listed library and former town hall and cinema at 14 Semaphore Road, Semaphore, South Australia. It was formerly the Semaphore Institute, Semaphore Town Hall, Ozone Theatre and Semaphore Cinema. It was listed on the South Australian Heritage Register on 1 September 1983, and was also listed on the Register of the National Estate.It was built as the Semaphore Institute, an early mechanics institute, and opened on 15 March 1884. It was designed by architects Wright and Reed, and built by Williams & Cleave. It was a stone building with an iron roof, with a main hall and stage, entrance room, library and reading room on the ground floor, and offices for the local municipality, the Corporate Town of Semaphore, and a gallery on the second floor. In 1889, it was sold to the municipality to be used as the Semaphore Town Hall. The municipality merged with the adjacent Corporate Town of Port Adelaide in 1900, but it continued to be rented out for community events by the Port Adelaide council. From 1910, the hall was used as a temporary cinema by a number of organisers, while continuing to be used for other community functions. In 1929, Ozone Amusements leased the hall from the Corporate Town of Port Adelaide and converted the hall into a permanent cinema to a design by Chris A. Smith, adopting a range of Art Deco features. Smith was a prominent architect of the period, designing many theatres and cinemas, and a number of public buildings including a refurbishment of the Brighton Town Hall. The company later became Ozone Theatres, and would become one of the two major movie chains in South Australia. In 1951, Hoyts bought out the Ozone company, and in 1952 undertook a complete refurbishment of the Semaphore cinema, reopening on 20 November. However, box office takings suffered from the introduction of television, and Hoyts closed the cinema on 21 May 1960.The ground floor was used by the Semaphore Youth Club from 1966 to 1978, and in 1977 a smaller cinema, the Semaphore Cinema, was opened in what had been the upstairs dress circle by Alan and Fran Hall, operating until its closure in 1985. The building was vacant from 1985 to 1993, when the City of Port Adelaide restored the building as the Semaphore Library, which it has operated as ever since. The building remains substantially intact from its previous uses, and its state heritage listing notes that "enough interior elements of both periods [as a cinema] remain for it to be quite a significant representative of suburban cinemas in their heyday."

Semaphore is a northwestern suburb of Adelaide in the Australian state of South Australia. It is located on the Gulf St Vincent coastline of the Lefevre Peninsula about 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) from the Adelaide city centre.

Semaphore was an electoral district of the House of Assembly in the Australian state of South Australia from 1938 to 1993.Semaphore was abolished in a boundary redistribution in 1993 and became the new seat of Hart. The suburb of Semaphore is currently located in the marginal Labor seat of Lee.

The Odeon Star Semaphore Cinemas, usually referred to as the Odeon Star, is an independent multiplex cinema in the beachside Adelaide suburb of Semaphore, South Australia. It is the oldest purpose-built cinema in Adelaide, opened on 22 May 1920 as the Wondergraph Picture Palace.

Semaphore South is a beachside suburb of Adelaide, in the City of Port Adelaide Enfield. The Semaphore South Post Office opened on 3 November 1947 and closed in 1978.

Glanville is a north western suburb of Adelaide, in the City of Port Adelaide Enfield.

The District Council of Lefevre's Peninsula was a local government area in South Australia centred on the Lefevre Peninsula from 1872 to 1884.

St Francis House was a home for inland Aboriginal Australian boys from 1946 to 1959 at Glanville Hall in Semaphore South, Adelaide, South Australia. Father Percy Smith purchased Glanville Hall on behalf of the Anglican Church to provide accommodation for young Aboriginal boys from remote areas who were attending school in the local area. He founded the St Francis Boys' Home in order to bring boys down (including several from Alice Springs in the Northern Territory) for education and employment.In a time when it was commonly believed that Aboriginal children were unable to be educated beyond Grade 3, Smith saw the home as a way of providing a family environment for the children to pursue a higher level of education without losing their Aboriginal identity. He described the hostel as “not one of fostering, but rather a boarding establishment to which boys came with their mothers' consent for the school year, and in that respect it was no different from children being sent by their parents to a boarding school".The manor became known as "St Francis House: A Home for Inland Children" and over the next 14 years, more than 50 children found at home at St Francis on their way to greatness. Former residents include Charles Perkins , Gordon Briscoe , John Moriarty , Les Nayda , and Bill Espie (Queen's Medal for Bravery) and the artist Harold Thomas (activist) (Bundoo) who signed a $20m agreement with the Australian Government to secure the rights to the Aboriginal flag, meaning it can now be reproduced without a fee. Some notable sporting identities included Vincent Copley, Richie Bray and Ken Hampton went on to play football for Port Adelaide, while Wally McArthur became an accomplished track and field athlete as well as rugby player. Many other residents went on to lead successful and fulfilled lives.Moriarty has said that St Francis House was an exceptional home. At St Francis House, the boys formed a strong, life-long bond with Smith and his wife, and with each other.A history of St Francis House is being written by former Australian test cricketer Ashley Mallett.The St Francis House Project was established in 2018 to document the history of the home.

Peterhead railway station is located on the Outer Harbor line. Situated in the north-western Adelaide suburb of Peterhead, it is 14.6 kilometres from Adelaide station.

The District Council of Glanville was a local government area in South Australia from 1864 to 1888.

Glanville railway station is located on the Outer Harbor line. Situated in the north-western Adelaide suburb of Glanville, it is 13.8 kilometres from Adelaide station.

Fort Glanville Conservation Park is a protected area located in the Australian state of South Australia located in Semaphore Park, a seaside suburb of Adelaide consisting of a functional 19th century fort listed on the South Australian Heritage Register and some adjoining land used as a caravan park. The fort was built after more than 40 years of indecision over the defence of South Australia. It was the first colonial fortification in the state and is the best preserved and most functional in Australia. Fort Glanville was designed by Governor Major General Sir William Jervois and Lieutenant Colonel Peter Scratchley, both important figures in early Australian colonial defence. When built it was designed to defend both Semaphore's anchorage and shipping entering the Port River from naval attack. Construction of the fort began in 1878. It was officially opened in October 1880 and completed by 1882. Due to changes in the Port River and shipping movements, Fort Largs surpassed it for strategic importance by 1890. By the close of the 19th century, the fort was largely unused and had no defence significance. It was briefly used for military purposes during World War I and World War II, though not for its original defensive role. For much of the 20th century the area was put to a variety of uses including accommodation, a caravan park and a boy scout campsite. After coming into state government hands in 1951 it was declared as a conservation park and is now managed by the Department for Environment and Water (DEW); preserving and showcasing its historic value. The fort and surrounds occupy the northern half of the 5-hectare (12-acre) conservation park, the southern half is a caravan park. The fort is a lunette shaped defensible battery that was supported by land forces for self-defence. When constructed it was seen as state of the art, incorporating powerful and modern weapons. Its main armament is two rifled muzzle-loading (RML) 10 inch 20 ton guns backed up by two RML 64 pounder 64 cwt guns, both rare in their particular configuration. The fort retains its original 19th century cannons and three have been restored to working condition. Fort Glanville Historical Association operates the park under license and conducts open days in the park, recreating the past operation of the fort including military drill and the firing of period weapons. The Association, park service, other volunteers and various grants have all helped ensure the fort is presented in close to original condition. It is the most complete 19th Century fort in Australia, and one of very few in the world that remains in original condition. Connecting the fort to Semaphore jetty is the Semaphore and Fort Glanville Tourist Railway, a 457 mm (18.0 in) gauge passenger steam train operated by volunteers from the National Railway Museum.