Hindmarsh brass band gets its own world-first studio hall in Adelaide in 1939 to broadcast nation wide; recorded for BBC

bHindmarsh brass Band, formed in 1912 (pictured, bottom right, two years later), had a bandstand (later South Australian state heritage listed) opened in 1921 on Port Road reserve. Top right: After the band became a pioneer in playing for radio nationally on the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Commission), it had a studio hall (top right) opened in Manton Street, Hindmarsh, in 1939, to present broadcasts of its concerts.  
Images courtesy State Library of South Australia and Flickr

Hindmarsh brass band (later Hindmarsh Municipal Band), formed in 1912, became noted nationally and internationally 28 years later when its own radio broadcast studio building was opened in the Adelaide inner western suburb’s Manton Street.

The Hindmarsh band’s radio broadcast studio was South Australia state heritage listed along with another of the band’s permanent marks on the Adelaide landscape: its bandstand opened in 1921 for open-air concerts on the reserve in the middle of Port Road. The band’s fundraising for the bandstand that would help beautify the reserve had a parallel proposal by Grace Weigall, wife of the South Australia governor, for a playground also on the reserve. With Hindmarsh council suggesting funding for both projects be pooled, the playground and bandstand were opened together with added lamp standards and a fountain also state heritage listed.

Hindmarsh brass band was the first to be heard on radio in South Australia from 5DN when it still an amateur station. It also was the first to broadcast after radio was brought under Australia-wide control by the federal government in 1924. Hindmarsh was heard nationally through the recitals broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Commission network.

Hindmarsh band became what was claimed to be the only brass band in the world with its own broadcasting studio that was officially opened by Hindmarsh mayor W. H. Stratton in December 1939 in Manton Street. The studio was designed by noted Adelaide art décor architect Chris Smith in cooperation with technical guidance for best reproduction from the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) as home for the band's frequent concert broadcasts. Performances were anticipated and advertised across Australia in all major newspapers.

Hindmarsh also was the only Australian band to record in the studio at the request of the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) in London.

In 1966. the final concert was given and the Manton Street studio hall was taken over by another community group.