Our History

Mornington Butchery has a legendary history.

The Etheridge Family: We know there has been at least 5 generations of the Etheridge family involved in the Butchering/meat industry in Australia. Bernard (Bernie) Etheridge’s Great-Great Grandfather, Edward Robert Etheridge (born in England) was a butcher in Scone before moving to Barraba in the 1870s. His son William Henry (Bernie’s Great Grandfather) was a butcher in Barraba in the early 1900s. He also had other sons involved in butchering and the meat industry in other areas of NSW.

Then, in the late 1930s Bernie’s Grandfather, Augustus William (William Henry’s son) bought Gardiner’s butcher shop in Gunnedah and ran it for a few years before moving to Hallsville, near Tamworth.
In 1946, the family returned to Gunnedah, purchasing a boot maker’s shop and converting it into Mornington Butchery (on the same corner as it is now situated). His two sons Basil and Gus (Bernie’s Dad) worked with him, with Gus slaughtering stock as well as working in the shop and delivering meat to customers on a bicycle.

Augustus William then sold this shop to Merv Newcombe and Bernie’s Dad, Gus continued working as a butcher for a few years at Namoi Meats before buying a truck and working as a carrier for a few years.
Then in 1980, Gus purchased the butcher shop his father had previously sold (now a newer building) and started trading as Mornington Butchery again. Two of his sons, Gerard and Bernie, became butchers and worked alongside their Dad for many years. Some of Gus’s other children and grandchildren worked in various smaller roles in the shop over the years as well.

In January 1998 Gus retired and Bernie purchased first the business and then later the building and has been managing it right up until he retired in February 2026 as the last Etheridge butcher (that we know of). Bernie Etheridge and Mornington Butchery staff built a reputation for high quality product, outstanding service and friendly staff. Appreciating all these qualities as they aligned with their own values, Kate and Lachlan James of Wallawong Premium Beef near Curlewis purchased the business in 2026 and it continues to thrive and grow.

The James Family: Owners Kate and Lachlan James both studied Rural Science at UNE Armidale, and specialised in Meat Science and genetics. We have been involved in carcase and meat judging teams for Australia (Kate) and Colorado State University in the USA (Lachlan). Both Kate and Lachlan taught Agriculture in local high schools and Lachlan now delivers courses in Meat Evaluation to Ag teachers and industry. 

Kate also has experience in food production establishing Hunter Belle Cheese in 2003 – a successful gourmet cheese factory located in Muswellbrook. Under Kate’s management, the cheese factory produced a range of different cheeses and yogurt, with a small team of dedicated permanent and casual staff of varying ages. The cheese factory business was sold to current owners in 2009 in order to concentrate on family at the time, and has continued successfully to this day. Our family includes two sons, Stirling and Fraser and dog ‘Boo’. Stirling is focused on a career in the defence force, and will help occasionally in the shop. Fraser is an apprentice agricultural machinery mechanic with Double R in Gunnedah.

Today we run a beef cattle farm and feedlot across 3 properties near Curlewis. Lachlan has extensive experience breeding and feeding high quality beef cattle that have produced multiple champion carcases at Sydney Royal Show, Wingham Beef Week and Upper Hunter Beef Bonanza over many years.  

We will be supplying some of our own beef carcases to the shop along with existing suppliers so that the quality of Mornington Butchery products are maintained. Lachlan will be in charge of producing and buying cattle for Mornington Butchery. Kate will be managing the business day to day.

While the brand has had a refresh, everything that people love about Mornington Butchery has remained:

Fresh high quality meats – locally sourced,

Friendly staff that care about people and product, and

Family values and being part of the Gunnedah community.

Thanks for continuing to choose Mornington Butchery.