Casino’s Bill Darragh of Darragh's Butchers hangs up knives after 64 years of serving the community

Bill Darragh has hung up his knives after working as a butcher for more than 60 years in the town of Casino in northern NSW. This is his story.

Bill Darragh has hung up his apron after more than 60 years working as a butcher in Casino.

A living legend in the Northern Rivers has hung up his knives after working as a butcher for 64 years in Casino, often hailed as the state’s beef capital.

William ‘Bill’ Darragh retired on April 15 marking the end of an era.

There was not quite riots in the street when Mr Darragh, 80 this year, announced he was calling it a day, but regulars were devastated by the news after decades of service.

Bill Darragh and his family gather outside the shop, Darragh's Butchers, for his retirement.

Mr Darragh started out in the trade in 1959, apprenticing for a butcher in Casino.

“We did everything from beef to bacon, to killing chooks,” he said.

It was just part of the job when as a 15-year-old lad he had to “kill chooks all day”.

“If we didn’t have 400 or 500 done we used to stay back and work into the night,” he said.

“Sometimes we’d work there until one or two in the morning.”

Mr Darragh and two others would be stay back and slaughter the poultry, earning just six pence a chook – split three ways between them.

Bill Darragh.

Mr Darragh recalled dealing with pounds, shillings and pence – a far cry from the dollars and cents of today, often tendered digitally due to the proliferation of EFTPOS machines.

Australia swapped to the decimal currency in 1966. One pound back then would be the equivalent of about $20 today.

Later, in 1974, Mr Darragh was there to see Australia transition from the imperial measurement system to metric, which he said took some getting used to.

Mr Darragh opened the iconic Darragh’s Butchery on Barker Street in 1981 before it moved to the Casino Shopping Plaza about 30 years ago.

Bill Darragh at his iconic shop, Darragh's.

Mr Darragh said he enjoyed his career and his favourite part of the job was the customers.

He said it was rewarding to serve families good meat to take home to enjoy.

Over the years, Mr Darragh got to know his customers and usually knew what they were shopping for.

He said he did not get many complaints and lots of good feedback.

Bill Darragh on the tongs. Mr Darragh has been with Rotary for more than three decades.

But Mr Darragh has not just served the community from behind the counter – he’s been a stalwart member of Rotary for 35 years.

Mr Darragh has been behind the barbecue and on the tong for many a sausage sizzle and often donated sausages and meat from his shop to cook up for fundraising.

A humble man, Mr Darragh said he did not like to “make much noise about that though”.

Mr Darragh and his wife Lyn will have been married for 57 years this August.

She said it was nice to have him home more often since his retirement.

Mrs Darragh said there was plenty to keep her husband busy now he’s out of the shop.

“He’s a mister fix-it man. He’s got to fix everything himself, so he’s not bored,” she said.

Mr Darragh has been helping his son Tony out around his mechanic business, delivering cars once they’ve been fixed, among other odd jobs.

He said he wanted to become a mechanic before he took up butchering, but an “old chap” advised him against it.

Bill Darragh and his wife Lyn celebrating his retirement outside the shop.

He recalled the advice: “They’re (the public) always going to want food.”

“But cars are going to change so much in the future. They’re going to be very hard to work on.”

Nevertheless, Tony followed his father’s dream and ended up opening Tony’s Workshop on Simpson’s Parade in Casino.

Sticking with the classic “butcher’s humour”, Mr Darragh was pleased to still be busy and said if you stop moving then the undertaker may come calling.

Mr Darragh asked the Casino community to keep supporting his former business and its new owners.

He said customers asked what they would do when he retired and he replied “well, the shop’s always going to be here”.

Mr Darragh’s retirement comes as the town gears up for its Beef Week Festival, with events due to be held from May 20-30 this year.