09/01/2026
Hey Folks,
I was doing some research today about Killarney Meats and I stumbled across an old write up about how Killarney Meats got its start. Truth be told I was trying to find a photograph of KM from decades past but I came up empty. If anyone has any photo's of the meat shop or any memories of it I would love it if you could share them here!
# # HICKS BUTCHER BUSINESS
Joseph Hicks* opened the first butcher shop in Ninga in 1897 and operated it intermittently for many years. Others running it for varying times were Ginger Edwards, Clarence Hicks, Harry Grey and Albert Evans. It reverted to Hicks ownership in 1938 when Joe’s son Gerald took it over.
Getting and keeping meat was a constant concern. Ice coolers were built, insulated with sawdust and supplied with blocks of ice cut from lakes or big sloughs during the winter. These were packed in sawdust in an ice house, usually attached to the butcher shop. Butchering was a steady job since no great supply could be kept. Slaughter houses were small buildings on nearby farms. Prices were different too. About 1920 sausages were 3 lbs. for 25 cents; steak 19¢ a lb.; roasts 16–25 cents. Hides sold for $1.50–$2.50. Wrapping paper cost 4 cents per lb and counter check books 14 cents each.
Sometimes Harry Grey packed meat in ice in an airtight box in his Model T truck and peddled it to the farms. Community beef rings were set up on a share basis for 20 week periods in the summer. One share supplied two families each with 10 lbs of fresh beef per week. The meat was collected from the slaughter house, each share in a bag. Each share provided one beef per season.
Jerry Hicks equipped his butcher shop with electric refrigeration in 1946. His son, Sam, started learning the trade and went off to train in Safeway and Co-op stores in Brandon, Saskatoon and Virden. He joined his father and they moved the business to Killarney in 1966, enlarging and modernizing the equipment and opening as Hicks Abattoir and Processing Plant. As business increased, new buildings and facilities were necessary. Gerald’s health declined so Sam took over in 1972 and with two full-time helpers, operates the business, now known as Hicks Abattoir, Custom Meat Processing of Fresh and Cured Meats.
