History Matters || Glen Innes: when every village had a butcher

In earlier years even the outlying villages including Bear Hill, Ben Lomond, Dalmorton, Deepwater, Hogues Creek, Kookabookra, Red Range, Tent Hill, Torrington, Vegetable Creek, and Wellingrove boasted butcher's shops.

Front page advertisements in the second edition of the Glen Innes Examiner, 12 October 1874, included these from butchers Edward Sargeant and Duncan Cameron.

Edward Sargeant advertised as "Family butcher established 1868. Small goods of the very best quality. Fresh Daily."

Duncan Cameron's ad read: Glen Innes Butchering Establishment. Carcass and Family butcher, Grey Street Glen Innes. Small goods and everything pertaining to a First-Class shop. Prime Salt Beef always on hand.

However on October 19 he ran another: On and after the first of October, the price of beef will be:

The cause of the present rise is in consequence of the high price of weedy stock, which is only procurable during the past interval of the winter season. As soon as the stock gets up in condition during the Spring, the price of beef will be reduced to the usual figures.

NB - Five percent discount will be allowed on prompt payment of Weekly accounts.

Signed Edward Sargeant. [lb =pound and d stood for penny]

In 1989 Bob Biddle mentioned ... 'Originally only beef, mutton and pork were available in the shop - no lamb. Crossbred lambs were not available until the advent of improved pastures in this district on about 1940.

The first cross bred lambs that Bob remembers being in the shop were Southdowns from Miss Belfield at Stonehenge.

The early methods of commercially keeping meat were very different from refrigerated cool rooms refrigerated cabinets, counters widows and air conditioning of to-days butchers' shops.

Of course, a lot of meat of necessity went into brine because many customers lived a fair distance away and would receive their meat supplies by the milk wagon or the postman who travelled by sulky buggy. It had to be corned even in the winter to get it out by such slow transport.

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