Woy Woy abattoir history published

A history of Woy Woy abattoir has been published by Ettalong author Ms Joan Patrick.

Ms Patrick said the book, A Dynasty of Butchers and their Path to Woy Woy, was the story of FC Nichols Pty Ltd, which traced the family from their arrival in NSW in 1882 to the present.

"Sydney during the 1880s enjoyed a post-goldrush boom.

"The NSW Government invested in major infrastructure projects.

"One was the Sydney to Newcastle railway that transformed Woy Woy's sleepy colonial village into an important tourist resort and commercial centre.

"Seventy-three years later, the railway also attracted brothers, Norman, Cecil and Allen when they paid Jack Roberts 18,500 pounds for his little slaughterhouse at South Woy Woy in 1955.

"Their business competency and expertise was exceptional and this history describes how those skills were achieved.

"They modernised it and employed thousands of local people and generated millions of dollars," Ms Patrick said.

"This story is more than one family or place.

"It includes stories about the meat industry in NSW from early slaughterhouses, associated pollution of waterways, government inspections and regulations, wartime meat rations, trade union disputes and changes in slaughtering techniques and equipment.

"This is the story of the men and women who worked on farms, in abattoirs, and in retail butcher shops to bring meat to our tables," Ms Patrick said.

Ms Patrick began working on the book in 2015 and gathered information from a range of sources.

Ms Patrick's book is available at the Umina Beach Book Bazaar.

SOURCE:

Media release, 4 Mar 2019

Joan Patrick, Ettalong