O'Gorman, Austin

DESCRIPTION

NameO'Gorman, AustinOccupationButcherPlace of ResidenceAlbion ParkBiographyAustin O’Gorman was born in 1923, Albion Park to Patrick Francis and Winifred Kathleen O’Gorman (nee Walsh). Austin lived in Albion Park, his whole life.

About 1937, when he was 14 and a half, Austin left school and started work at the family Butchery, with his two brothers, Ronald and Raymond, the Boss (his father) and Tom O’Keefe. The shop was named P O’Gorman Family Butcher, and was located next to the former ESA Bank in Albion Park.

The butcher shop had no electricity, so the meat was cooled by large blocks of ice bought from the local dairy factory.

The O’Gorman’s had their own slaughter yards; a piggery and poultry run in Terry Street. The cattle were bought from local farmers as far afield as Gerringong, and driven by horse on foot to the yards. In much later years, the cattle came from Moss Vale and other sale yards by road transport.

The killing was done by chasing each animal into a strong wooden structure just large enough to take one animal, and thrusting a spear down from above to the back of the head between the ears, severing the spinal cord which knocked the beast unconscious – it was then rolled out and bled.

The slaughterhouse had no electricity so all work was manual. It was considered too expensive to get the power on.

The poultry run had a shed with nests for the hens to lay eggs. All of the roosters were killed and sold mainly to hotels in Kiama.

The butcher shop delivered meat to Oak Flats, Shellharbour, Minnamurra, Kiama and Jamberoo. The ‘Boss’ used to wake Austin and his sister Monnie at 6am every Saturday morning. Austin’s job was to catch a horse and deliver meat to the Mt Terry areas. The meat was carried in a sugar bag on the front of the saddle.

Austin was conscripted into the army in 1942 at 18 years. Because he was a butcher, he was placed into the Australian Army Service Corps and sent to Queensland. His job was to pick up all the provisions from the depot and distribute them to camps (meat, milk, bread, potatoes etc). He was also the camp butcher, and had 140 personnel and four kitchens. Austin had to allot a certain amount of meat to each cook. The ration was 3/4lb per head, and that included bone.

Austin finished up in the Army abattoirs in North Queensland and the Northern Territory for the last 2 years of the war. He was back in civvies in 1946. In 1949, Austin married Betty Margaret Lyons.

Austin worked at O’Gorman and Sons until 1970, when he bought his two brothers out. Austin also bought out Alan Timbs at the Calderwood shop and sold it three years later. In 1976, he sold the main shop and built a knackery (slaughterhouse) at Yellow Rock to supply pet food, mainly to greyhound owners at Dapto, Port Kembla, and Wollongong.

Austin had permission from the Meat Industry Authority to pick up stock from the farmers that were down from any complaint, and carry them back to the knackery.

After Austin’s bones wore out, his son Greg carried on the business.

Contributed by Austin O’Gorman 2006.

External LinkMargaret's ColumnAlbion Park NewsAlbion Park NewsSocial at Albion ParkWedding O'Gorman - Lyons

Object

Austin O'Gorman and Harley Davidson Motorbike

Parkinson's Soda Syphon Bottle

Letona Australian Tinned Fruit Labels

The School Magazine of Literature for our Boys & Girls

Photograph

Austin O'Gorman delivering meat on a 1939 Harley Davidson bike

Betty & Austin O'Gorman, Doug Blow & Dot Pearson

Document

O'Gorman Family History

O'Gorman Family Albion Park 1862

Person

O'Gorman, Betty

O'Gorman, Patrick (Paddy) Francis

Family

Lyons

O'Gorman

Austin O'Gorman delivering meat on a 1939 Harley Davidson bike, c.1940.

Photo taken in front of Henderson's shop, Albion Park.

CONNECTIONS

CollectionPeopleFamilyO'GormanLocalityAlbion ParkPersonO'Gorman, Patrick (Paddy) FrancisO'Gorman, Betty

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O'Gorman, Austin