Butchers in Gawler and Willaston

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Fast Facts
Type of organisation: Business






George Sheriff later Sheriff Brothers - 1859-1905+

George Sheriff was carrying out trade as a butcher in Gawler Town by 1859.[1] In the early 1860s he had a store located on the western side of Murray Street between Tod & Jacobs Streets, he vacated that store in 1867 to move 'extended premises’ a few shops south.[2][3] After George’s death in 1891, his son John Joseph Sheriff and one or more of his brothers continued on the butchering business as ‘Sheriff Brothers’, likely from the same Murray Street location.[4] Not uncommon for the era, the cleanliness of George and later his son's butchering businesses drew reports and fines from health inspectors for "impure liquid and filth", foul stenches, dirty shop floor and filthy stock yards.[5][6][7][8][9] For more details on the Sheriff Family and the locations of their stores see Sheriff (Cr) George.

E. Gartrell Family Butchers - Willaston 1872+ & Barossa Goldfields 1887

Edwin and his brother Henry established a butcher business in the main street of Willaston in 1872, having helped run their father’s business in Roseworthy for many years.1 Their shop was in the Main Street of Willaston [site now known as 6 Main North Road, Willaston], next door to the original Willaston Hotel.

In 1878 the business was leased to Hodgson and Clements.2 Hodgson & Clements ran the business until 1868 when E.Gartrell returned. In 1907 the Gartrell’s butchering establishment was regarded as the largest in the colony, with the shop, yards, stables and outhouses covering an acre of land. Not without issues, however. The Bunyip reported on the 16th January 1874 that at the Mudla Wirra South Council meeting, held on the 10th January – “H&E Gartrell, butchers, Willaston, to re requested to abate nuisance arising from the offensive smells from their yards”.

Gartrell was an entrepreneur of his time. With the Barossa Goldfields rush in 1887, Gartrell and Hodgson opened a ‘shop’ at the goldfields (in the Cockatoo Valley area). It consisted of an overhanging branch from which two sheep, newly slaughtered, were suspended. It was reported that the two did intend to erect a more business-like premises.

Causby & Sons - 1894-1920

Between 1894 and 1920 Mr. Causby and his sons, would slaughter stock on the east side of Chamberlain Road, near the Willaston Cemetery. They never operated a butcher’s shop; however, the sons, Tom and Joe would deliver meat around Willaston and Gawler.

Selway’s Butchers and Slaughterhouse - 1896-1945


In 1896 Mr W.J. Selway began his butchering business; however, he didn’t have a shop for some twelve years. His first butcher shop was on the corner of Murray and High Street in Gawler. The slaughtering was done to the south of the shop. In 1932, his son, W.J. Selway Junior took over and opened a butcher shop in Murray Street, where the Bunyip Office is situated. During the Second World War, with the labour shortage, he closed his Murray Street shop and opened a butcher shop in Willaston. It was the third shop just south of the Willaston Hotel. He remained there until 1945. Mr Selway Junior’s slaughterhouse was situated on what is now known as Kelly Road. It was demolished in 1994.

Turner’s Butcher Shop - Willaston - 1948-1992


Mr. Spencer Turner opened his butcher shop in 1948 in the second shop alongside the Willaston Hotel (formerly the Victoria Hotel). He was known as “the friendly Willaston butcher”. He closed his shop on the 15th April 1992, having operated his business for over 43 years. Mr. Fred Brooks recollects that “the butcher shop contained an enormous red-gum chopping block that had been worn down ten inches in nearly 44 years. To get the chopping block in and out the shop, a window had to be removed as the block was too big to manoeuvre through the door”. Turner used to do his slaughtering in Edmond Brothers Slaughter-House which was situated in the north end of Willaston.
Later, he used Hewett’s Slaughter House just east of Murray Road Willaston. This continued until 1981 when meat hygiene regulations altered, and it was required that all slaughtering was to be done in government-approved slaughter houses. Turner then had Mr. D. Stansborough do his slaughtering by the “27 mile train crossing.”

Spencer's older brother Ernest Benjamin Turner was also a butcher at Willaston, he relocated to Woodside by 1943.[10]

Crestline Meats - 1978-2026+

Crestline Meats first opened as a small store in Murray Street in 1978; from there they moved to Tod Street Plaza, a "hidden secret" tucked away in the back corner.[11] In Easter 2015, they opened a second store in the newly built Gawler Green Shopping Centre.[11] In July 2019 the business was purchased by the previous manager and his partner, the Tod Street Plaza store was closed and the entire business was run from the Gawler Green Store.[11] As of 2026, they continue to operate as a locally owned and operated family business.[11]

Other Local's who worked as Butchers

Larger butcher's shops would have required employees from outside of the family. The following people are known to have been local butchers but there are no advertisements or other indications that they were running their own businesses.

  • Brothers ‘Jack’ John Ronald Trott and ‘Reg’ Reginald George Trott were both butchers and worked in Willaston in the 1930s; Reg relocated to Whyalla by 1941, Jack was still at Willaston in 1943.[10] [See Trott Family.]

The Butcher’s and Baker’s Picnics

Social gatherings were important in the growth and development of trades, and picnics were especially popular in Gawler, Willaston and other townships. The Butcher’s and Baker’s Picnics in the 1890s involved a whole family outing for the trades. The Bunyip on 23rd November 1894, recorded the Butchers and Bakers Picnic thus- “The procession was a very interesting one. Thirty-seven vehicles of all descriptions containing 236 occupants and five horsemen made up the procession, which as it passed along Murray Street shortly after 9 a.m., was headed by Rigg’s brass band”. They made their way to the property of Mr Lawes at Sandy Creek. There was a cricket match, athletic events for adults and children, tug-of-war and egg and spoon races.

To view more photos of Butchers in Gawler and Willaston Click Here

Please Click Here to read the 48 pages of "My Memories of Gawler - 1923+" - by Colin Hillier - page 9.

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References

  1. ↑ (South Australian Register 14 Apr 1859) https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/49902098
  2. ↑ (Bunyip 4 May 1867) https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/130960240
  3. ↑ (Bunyip 13 Jul 1867) https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/130962899
  4. ↑ (Bunyip 12 Jun 1908) https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/97729486
  5. ↑ (South Australian Weekly Chronicle 25 Jan 1862) https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/90253530
  6. ↑ (South Australian Weekly Chronicle 25 Jan 1862) https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/90253530
  7. ↑ (Bunyip 31 Dec 1897) https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/97575510
  8. ↑ (Bunyip 5 Sep 1902) https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/97592905
  9. ↑ (Bunyip 15 May 1903) https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/97588171
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Australian Electoral Roll
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Crestline Meats Website [online accessed 5 Jan 2026] https://www.crestlinemeats.com.au/about/

causby_tom_g_butcher_willaston_c1920_bt fb227
causby_tom_g_butcher_willaston_c1920_bt fb227
Gartrell Butcher shop c1900 [possibly 1907]
Gartrell Butcher shop c1900 [possibly 1907]
Main Street Willaston Hodgson & Clements c1870
Main Street Willaston Hodgson & Clements c1870


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