Semaphore Mainstreet Association

Steven von der Borch was re-elected as Chairman by a margin of only one vote during the election of the SMA Committee on Wednesday, February 27.

Gio Musolino nominated for the position and a secret ballot was held for the first time in SMA elections.

Following the election SMA Projects Co-ordinator Tricia Flowers gave a special presentation on the SMA Marketing Plan for 2008.

The AGM was held in the superb Ballroom at the Semaphore Palais and after the meeting members and guests enjoyed drinks and nibbles.

The new Committee and Office Bearers are:

Chairperson: Steven von der Borch, Brock Harcourts
Treasurer: (position to be filled)
Secretary: Susan Lodge, Resident
Vice Chair: Adam Freeman, Semaphore Garden Shop

New Committee Members:
Joanne Hemmings, SOS Shoes on Semaphore
Abby Wegener, The Corner Shop
Nadine Hardwicke, Three Bears Shoes

Re-elected Committee members
Andrea Murray, Semaphore House
Gio Musolino, Phore Seasons Restaurant
John Williams, Resident

A special invitation has been extended to the residents of Stage One of Newport Quays to meet the locals at the Semaphore Mainstreet Association AGM on Wednesday February 27.

Our photo shows resident volunteers Eamonn Brennan and Jing Yuan delivering the invitations to their new neighbours.

Come along to the AGM and meet some of the Newport Quays residents in the Palais Ballroom at 6pm.

Highlights of the night will include an Indigenous Welcome by Aunty Josie Agius, Marketing Plan 2008 by SMA Projects Co-ordinator Tricia Flowers and a presentation on website news and advertising on semaphoresa.com

Those wishing to vote in Committee Elections must be paid up members and nomination forms will be available for anyone wanting to serve on the Committee.

All SMA resident and trader members are urged to come along and join in the campaign to sell Semaphore as the best visitor location in South Australia.

The Semaphore Mainstreet Association Annual General Meeting will be held in the Ballroom at the Semaphore Palais on Wednesday, February 27, at 6pm.

All SMA members are urged to attend this meeting and lend their support to the committee in the continuing work to:

• Make Semaphore a better place for the whole community
• Promote Semaphore as Adelaide’s best family beach location
• Attract more visitors by promoting the unique shops, restaurants, cafes, hotels, services and historical landmarks on Semaphore Road and the Fireshore
• Promote a variety of public events on Semaphore Road and the Foreshore and beach that will be entertaining for local residents and visitors

Members wishing to nominate for the committee can be residents or traders who have time to not only attend meetings, but be active in the staging of various activities.

We particularly need people who have administrative skills.

With the upcoming major works on Semaphore Road including road, median strip and pavement changes, lighting and public art, we face challenging times for traders and residents.

Port Adelaide Enfield Council and the Port Adelaide Visitor Information Centre are giving Semaphore strong support in helping us to achieve our goals.

Only with similar local support from SMA trader and resident members can we make it all happen.

SOS — Shoes on Semaphore — might be the first retail business for Jo Hemmings, but she knows an enormous amount about shoes.

Wholesaler SA Footwear has been a family business for 27 years and the Albert Park mother has learnt a lot.

She has opened shop 2 at 13 Semaphore Road in the premises formerly occupied by Bright Kids.

“I love the community feel about Semaphore, Jo said.

“My three kids call the Semaphore beach playground the backyard. It’s a great thrill to work in the suburb that you’ve grown up to love.

“We’ve already had lots of local customers who very enthusiastic and supportive.

“Also a lot of the people we’ve seen have travelled from the Northern suburbs and we’ll see a lot more when the new Port River bridge opens.”

Former Messenger, Rural Press and Australian Vigneron journalist Nadine Hardwicke has opened a new children’s shoe shop — Three Bears Shoes — next to Furniture by the Sea on Semaphore Road.

Nadine who has lived in the western suburbs all her life, also worked with Boylen Publishing on advertising for the AFL at AAMI Stadium, SANFL, Adelaide Crows and Port Power.

SMA welcomes Nadine to Semaphore Road and wishes her well in her first retail venture.

Semaphore Road traders and SMA members gave an excellent range of prizes for the Street Fair Bike Races:

Macgowan’s Coffee Lounge Café, $100 lunch voucher, Phore Seasons Restaurant, Six bottles of fine wines, Flying Knife Restaurant, Magnum of Champagne, Semaphore Pantry Gourmet, Takeaway for two, Richardsons Jewellers, Jewelled earrings, Style on Semaphore, Contemporary yellow bag, J & C Manufacturing Jewellers, Jewelled watch, Xanadu, Ornamental Buddha, Swish, Super size red goblet, Birks Chemist, Women’s Fragrance, Nail Wisdom, Nail makeover, Gidgets, Smart contemporary bag, Sarah’s Sisters, $50 lunch for two, Kafe Dom, $50 lunch for two, Mt V Music, DVD or CD, Café Sem4, Lunch for two

A random survey of traders following the Street Fair got these results:

Xanadu

I did a head count last year and we got 600 people through the store. This year there was over 1000.

Everyone who worked on putting it on should be congratulated because it just keeps getting bigger and better each year.

Kafe Dom

We had record takings this year because we cooked Russian food on the pavement and did 250 servings. We’d like a Street Fair every week.

Bob Armstrong said he was thinking about doing the pavement cooking on each Sunday.

Semaphore Pantry

We did as well as last year which put us on the map. The best thing about this year was they were mostly new people.

Birks Chemist

We did a half price sale and did very well from our pavement stall.

Gypsy Rose

We did really well this year. I’ve got no complaints but a customer asked why no Father Christmas or clowns.

SMA promised to raise that for discussion.

Variety Store

We did well again and the crowds seemed about the same as last year.

Phore Seasons

The cooking demonstrations, wine and cheese tastings and business generally went very well.

Thanks to all at SMA for staging a very good Street Fair which just gets better.

Richardsons Jewellers

We had a really good day with lots of new people coming through.

Red Rock Noodles

We did a lot better than last year and more people know we are here now.

Swish

We had to bring in four staff, when normally we have only one or two, and we had a really good day.

Zillas

We did fantastic.

Sumadi

It was fantastic because we did really well from our roadway sales. Over 350 items on the day

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Through Xanadu at Semaphore, Unley and Glenelg on Street Fair day $1570 was raised for the Overseas Specialist Surgery Association of Australia.

As part of the Street Fair, Psychic Readings were done in a marquee outside the Xanadu store. The Readers who provided their services at Xanadu on Street Fair day were Lorraine, Pauline, Lisa Marie, Lisa and Marie.

Xanadu has raised several thousand dollars for the OSSA with a series of Psychic Readings.

The money raised during the Street Fair will assist in funding continuing OSSAA work in East Timor and Flores.

All Psychic Readers donate their time and donations for Readings go directly to OSSAA.

On Street Fair day Kafé Dom had record takings due in no small measure to Pavement Piroshki. Faina cooked and served the Russian speciality of yeast dough pouches filled with beef and cabbage or potato.

Piroshki can also be filled with many other items including ricotta and spinach or rhubarb and apple.

Watch out for more new taste sensations cooking outside Kafe Dom in the coming months.

Traders Roger and James Macgowan and their volunteers Luke, Kate and Glen together with Peter Briggs from Creole Cowboys, Cathy Acworth from Gidgets and SMA committee members Andrea from Semaphore House and Nadine from Pets on Semaphore promoted our Street Fair at the Port Christmas Pageant.

Our small but boisterous contingent was headed by Roger on his Harley Davidson with Street Fair signs on his trailer.

Peter played washboard and didgeridoo and Luke a harmonica while the others handed out Street Fair flyers and “I Shop at Semaphore” bags.

Glen, in SMA T-shirt and carrying a large Street Fair sign, marched with the Caledonian Society Pipe Band who were in the fourth section of the Pageant.

The Port Adelaide Cycling Club had agreed to be in our section, but at the last minute an official forced them to move from where they had assembled with us to another section simply as Port Adelaide Cycling Club.

Anticipating that this was a possibility, each of them flaunted an “I Shop at Semaphore” bag to promote the Street Fair.

The Port Adelaide Cycling Club organises the Semaphore Street Races which are a showcase for Port Adelaide’s bid for a stage section of the 2009 Tour Down Under.

Nadine, in SMA T-shirt, carried a Street Fair poster and handed out Street Fair flyers in the Tae Kwon Do section of the Pageant. Plans are already under way to stage a much bigger entry in next year’s Christmas Pageant.