BUTCHER REMAINS A CUT ABOVE REST
A CAIRNS butcher is celebrating more than 60 years in the Far North in memory of its founder who died on his birthday and the business’ anniversary in 2020.
“Meating you since ‘62” has been the motto for family-owned and operated business Byrnes Quality Meats, founded by Cairns meat industry titan D’Arcy Byrnes and his wife Raylee.
The Byrnes family and Byrnes Quality Meats staff celebrated the business’ 60 year milestone recently, which marked both D’Arcy’s birthday and the day he died.
“We had a promotional day where we had staff and customers and a local radio station come along to enjoy a sausage sizzle,” Victor, D’Arcy’s son, said.
“Dad had always enjoyed customer service and meeting a lot of different people and supplying them with what they needed.”
Originally a carpenter, Mr Byrnes also worked as a milkman before exchanging businesses with a cousin and opening DNR Quality Meats with his wife Raylee in Atherton in 1962.
In the early 1980s, Mr Byrnes and his wife set up their first store in Cairns which Mr Byrnes built himself.
Victor has taken over the family business with help from his youngest son Cailan.
“Mum’s in charge of the butcher shops and I run the abattoirs.”
Byrnes Quality Meats general manager Andrew McIntosh who worked with Mr Byrnes for 30 years, described D’Arcy Byrnes as “a man of knowledge”.
“D’Arcy was an old school man. He didn’t expect you to do anything he couldn’t do himself,” Mr McIntosh said.
“He was a strong man and expected you to work but he was fair as well. If you worked hard, he’d do the right thing by you.”
The business services more than 150 restaurants from Cairns, the Tablelands and surrounding islands as well as two retail stores with a growing customer base.