Fourth generation butcher takes out CQ’s best | 2024

With the profession running in his veins, and with more than 50 years experience, it’s no surprise CQ’s best butcher went to Peter Boodles.

With the profession running in his veins and over 50 years experience, it’s no surprise Central Queensland’s best butcher took out the title.

The owner of a well known Rockhampton butchery, which has been servicing the region for more than three decades, is now celebrating their triumph after being voted the region’s best butcher of 2024.

Boodles Meats, owned by Peter Boodles, has been operating since 1991 when they opened the butchery at Rockhampton’s City Centre Plaza.

“We’re a big name in Rockhampton and Central Queensland,” Peter said.

“We get customers from all over the region come and purchase our meat.”

“I just think we are very recognisable.”

Having won many awards, such as ‘Retail Shop of the Year’, sausage awards and small goods, ham and bacon awards, Peter said that Boodles Meats is widely beloved for their flagship beef sausage. Picture: Boodles Meats Facebook page

Following their quick success at their first store, Boodles Meats expanded their business across Central Queensland, from Rockhampton to as far as Yeppoon and Emerald, with five stores across the three cities.

With each of the stores located nestled in shopping centres, Peter decided to open a stand-alone meat supermarket butchery in 2003 and disassembled each of the small stores.

“We decided it was time to get out of shopping centres instead of paying the big rents and own something ourselves (the supermarket),” he said.

Located on Berserker Street North Rockhampton, Boodles Meats is a whopping 650 square meters under roof with 28 off street car parks and 26 employees: consisting of 12 butchers, 3 apprentices, sales people and cleaners. Picture: Boodles Meats

While the franchise has merged into one big store, business for Boodles Meats is still going strong, not just in Rockhampton but across the Central Queensland region, supplying many hotels, restaurants, clubs and retail, as well as maintaining a loyal following of customers region wide.

“We’ve got great presentation, customer service and sell good quality meat, sourced from all over Australia, as well as a lot of customers that keep coming back,” he said.

“We’ve been here that long that the people that first started dealing with us, we are serving their children, and grandchildren.”

“So we’ve got generations of customers.”

Peter is a fourth generation butcher, starting his career at 15 with the encouragement of his dad.

“There’s a long line of butchers (in my family), from my father, grandfather and great grandfather back in the day,” he said.

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Trying plumbing beforehand, he soon discovered the career wasn’t for him and took his dad’s advice to pursue being a butcher.

“I was an apprentice under him (dad),” he said.

“Then ventured down to Brisbane and worked there, and ended up in Rocky.”

Peter shared that the business’s name ‘Boodles Meats’ was also inspired by his father who formerly owned the Goondiwindi based ‘Boodles Butchery’, saying that he thought that it would be a nice nod to the generations before him.

Moving to Rockhampton in 1981 and meeting his wife of 28 years marriage, Madonna, Peter is the father of five daughters, and a grandfather of 12 children.

Pictured with his wife, Madonna, Peter Boodle has worked as a butcher for more than 50 years. Picture: Boodles Meats

While none of his daughters have followed in footsteps as butchers, there is still hope that one of his grandchildren with continue the family business.

Away on holiday in Fiji at the time of the poll, Peter was chuffed to hear the news of his win, racking in a total of 67 votes.

“Being a butcher is the only job I’ve ever done, and I’ve just enjoyed it so much, looking after customers and working with great people,” he said.

Peter Boodle took out the title by a narrow lead, with just four votes between him and the runner up, Reggie Brook from Parkhurst Quality Meats, who was also closely followed by Scott from Port City Meats with 61 votes. Pictures: Parkhurst Quality Meats and Port City Meats Facebook pages.

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Originally published as Fourth generation butcher takes out CQ’s best | 2024