A GROUP of Wadebridge butchers have paid tribute to a dear friend who died last month. Jack Steer, who died at the age of 82, had trained numerous butchers in the town and surrounding areas during his years in the meat trade.

Among those he taught were four generations of the Marshall family in Wadebridge. The first member of the family he worked with was Frank Marshall, who retired in 1946 from the Wadebridge and District Abattoir which was based in Piggy Lane, just off Goldsworthy Way.

Not long after his retirement Frank's son Stuart Marshall worked with Jack for 15 years before his two sons, Paul and Nigel, started working there too.

Nigel spent six years at the Wadebridge abattoir and Paul spent a total of 23 years working alongside Jack.

Paul, who now works as a mobile slaughterer, said: “He was wonderful man. The abattoir closed in the early 1990s but Jack still trained my son Wayne, when he was 12, at Tregagles.

“I am very proud that he worked with four generations of my family. He will be greatly missed.

“He had so many sayings and was a real character. I remember once he went to make a delivery and on his way back stopped and had his hair cut.

“When he got back the manager, Bart Stacey, said to him: 'Steer, you do not have your hair cut in firm's time'. Jack replied 'It grew in works time'. When Bart said not all of it had grown in works time, Jack simply replied: 'I didn't have all of it cut off'. That was just his humour.”

Although Wayne was unable to work at the abattoir where all the members of his family had worked, in a twist of fate he has just qualified as a retained firefighter based at Wadebridge – the new fire station has been built on the old abattoir site.

Wayne, who works at Williams & Son's butchers in Molesworth Street, said: “It is very weird. I am pleased that I had the opportunity to work with Jack and can't believe that I will now be spending my time as a firefighter on the same spot as the generation of my family worked. I wanted to be a firefighter since the age of 18 so when the chance came up last year to train I took it.”

Jack also trained another Wadebridge butcher, Don O'Reilly, from the age of eight. Don said: “I knew Jack for more than 50 years. He was a great friend and took everyone under his wing; I think it was due to his Royal Marines training. He has left a legacy of butchers in Wadebridge and surrounding areas.”

Don is now working at Williams' butchers, alongside Wayne.