Bruce Sutton finishes with Carey Brothers abattoir after 50 years

On Friday, the now 66-year-old clocked into the Yangan abattoir near Warwick for the final time amidst plenty of well wishes and even some tears from his work mates.

Following in the footsteps of his father Bill, who himself worked for Carey Brothers for more than 48 years and retried in 2000, Bruce put in his first shift as a slaughterman on January 30, 1973 and never looked back.

Described as "a quiet bloke" with a "wicked and dry sense of humour", Mr Sutton has been a popular figure within the Carey Brothers operation for nearly half a century.

"I've seen a lot of people come and go during that time and have worked with a lot of really great people," Mr Sutton said.

"It's been really enjoyable and I have made a lot of great memories."

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From those early days working as a slaughterman, Mr Sutton continued to hone his craft and became the operation's first meat inspector, when having one became a regulatory requirement, before becoming one of the first people in the company to become a MSA grader.

Since then, he has helped teach the next generation of meat inspectors to the point the company now boasts seven qualified meat safety officers with the eighth currently in training .

"The industry has changed quite a lot, but I still find it as enjoyable now as I did when I first started," Mr Sutton said.

"Although, the body has started to tell me that I shouldn't be doing this or that, which I think is just one of those things.

"The industry keeps getting bigger and bigger, so I think it is in pretty good hands."

Recently, Mr Sutton's commitment to the organisation was recognised at the Carey Brothers Christmas party, where he received a wooden plaque, which features a replica of his knife, steel and pouch.

Adding to the sentiment was the fact the plaque was crafted from timber supplied by Carramar Timbers Killarney, and made by Aaron McKinney, Tannymorel, who is married to Mr Sutton's niece.

Carey Brothers owner Greg Carey, who has spent most of his life working alongside both Bill and Bruce Sutton, said Mr Sutton had left behind a long-standing legacy.

"I think it would be pretty rare for two members of the same family to have worked a combined 98 years for the same company, but it really speaks to Bill and Bruce's hard work, dedication and loyalty," Mr Carey said.

"Bruce started when we had a small, slated slaughterhouse where the flies could fly in and fly out before a couple of years later the Queensland Government mandated that small abattoirs have fly-proof windows and doors as well as graded floors.

"That was in 1975, we have upgraded a lot since those days and are planning to upgrade even further in the near future.

"For the past few years, Bruce has been eager to see us install even more cool rooms and while it is a bit of a shame he won't be on deck to see it happen, it is coming."

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Mr Carey said it would be different not having Mr Sutton's dry wit and good nature around the Yangan site everyday.

"We have got a fantastic team here at Carey Brothers who we are really proud of, especially Bruce for all he has done," he said.

"We presented Bruce with a plaque at our Christmas party recently and during that presentation I really focused on the positive impact Bruce has made in terms of the growth of our business.

"I think there would be a lot of people who would say that people like Bruce make Carey Brothers a great place to work.

"I'm sure there would also be plenty of people who would say that Bruce set a great standard during his time here."

Abattoir manager Ben Cooper, who was alongside Mr Sutton in becoming the first in the company to be certified MSA qualified graders, said Mr Sutton would be sorely missed.

"Bruce has certainly left us with big shoes to fill and I don't know exactly how we'll get on without him, but will have to find a way," Mr Cooper said.

"There's quite a few younger guys that have been really helped along by Bruce and we've been pretty lucky to have someone with his experience and good nature around to do that."

As for the future, Mr Sutton said he would never be far away if the team needs a hand.

"I'm just going to look to enjoy myself I suppose," he said.

"I've said to Greg that I will still come out and give them a hand when they need it with grading and that sort of thing.

"Fishing is one of my passions and along with a group of mates, we love to go fishing on Stradbroke Island as well as around here, so I dare say there will be a lot of fishing in my future as well."

Despite all the changes the industry has experienced in the past 50 years one thing remained the same on Friday as it was on January 30, 1973.

Bruce Sutton walked into work at Carey Brothers with a smile on his face.