Pat Conaghan (Cowper, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to recognise the 70th anniversary of a very well-known business in the Macleay Valley. On the October long weekend, CP Ball Butchery in South West Rocks celebrated 70 years in business on the mighty Macleay. In 1951, Charles Parnell Ball purchased the butchery at 13 Paragon Avenue, South West Rocks—and that's when a 14-year-old named Colin Ball left school to learn the art of butchering and slaughtering—to supply and sell their own meats from their grazing property, known as Longreach, Kinchela. This was the start of the original paddock to plate.

Over those 70 years, Ball's Butchery, as it is affectionately known by locals and tourists, opened another shop in Gladstone, New South Wales, with Colin in charge, supplying the local Macleay area, as well as South West Rocks, with quality meat products. By 1974, Colin moved from Gladstone to Belgrave Street, Kempsey, to service the whole of the Macleay. This was a masterstroke for the business, as was a brand-new abattoir built at Longreach which enabled the business to grow and to employ many more people and families. In 1991, two of Colin's sons, Grahame and Geoffrey, entered the business to learn the art of meat processing and running the business from their father, Colin. A lot has changed over the 70 years, as Colin can testify to: no more sawdust on the floors and now to modern-day equipment and processing.

In 2016, Ball's Butchery made the decision to enter the seafood trade and built a modern-day oyster processing room at South West Rocks, developing the business even further with ocean to plate. This was a first, with meat and seafood sold and processed under the one roof. CP Ball Butchery and Seafoods has received many awards over the 70 years, with sausage king and burger king awards from the Meat Industry Council, but the biggest achievement was when Colin was awarded, in 2014, 50 years membership of the AMIC and the oldest member.

This year, 2021, sees Ball's Butchery celebrate a major milestone. At 84 years old, Colin is still the managing director of the business and is still very active. On a sadder note, on 24 August this year, the Ball family's backbone and Colin's wife, Pamela, lost her battle with cancer aged 79. Pamela was a beautiful person and she will be deeply missed. Colin and Pam were married for 58 years. With the business in good hands with Grahame and Geoff at the helm, Ball's Butchery and Seafood at South West Rocks will continue to supply only the best meats and seafood to the Macleay region for many, many years to come. Well done, boys!