George Town's Main Street Meat and Veggies sign off after 29 years

Specifically, they have set their sights on Main Street Meat and Veggies on Macquarie street.

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Since mid 1992 George Town has been home to the institution owned by the Bannons - Robert, 71, and Catherine, 69.

The allure is obvious - a classic butcher smell, old-school shop owners and a feel of nostalgia from the clack of the metal front door opening to the red and blue doorway curtain ti the behind the scenes butchery.

"We opened up from scratch on the 3rd of June 1992. It was an empty video shop," Robert said.

"I started [butchering] on the 20th of December 1965 in Launceston ... About three years later a supermarket opened up in George Town under the name of Roelf Vos. I worked there for about 25 years until it was sold to Woolworths and then I came into our shop."

Reminiscing on his career Robert remembered the days where pine wood chips scattered the butchery ground to soak up the spoilage and maintain an acceptable scent and meat was sliced by hand.

Like many Australian blokes Robert is wilfully coy about the amount of time he has had skin in the butchery game, but by any approximation 55 years of experience leaves no uncertainty about his CV.

This is partly why the Bannon's butcher is well esteemed throughout Tasmania, but it is also why the pair have decided to lay down the blades and hang up the apron.

While June 3 was the 29 year anniversary of the opening of the Macquarie street shop, June 18 will be the Bannon's final day.

"It's our age. If we were younger we wouldn't even think of selling, but we've got to have a bit of fun now," Catherine added.

Grandparent time - they have four grandkids - has finally caught up with the Bannon's and it is their reason for moving on from the butcher.

Though they hold no regrets about the decision to establish the business in the first place, leaving behind what has been their livelihood for such a long time will be a difficult transition considering the clients who swing by like clockwork, the locals that drop by just for a chat and those that have transitioned into genuine friends.

George Town resident Ros Jordan had popped into the butcher on their 29th anniversary. She used to own what was once the service station next door and had known the Bannons ever since they opened up shop.

"Everyone in the town knows them," Ms Jordan said.

"If you want something in particular or a certain amount of something you can ask for it and if they haven't got it that week they'll get it for you the next week. That personal contact is important."

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Across town you would be hard pressed to find someone that had a bad word to say about the Bannons and their butcher.

Both Robert and Catherine are strong community members who have allowed themselves to become immersed in George Town to the point they became a fixture - and the town recognised it.

Their genuineness and the care they exhibited to their customers mirrored their commitment to delivering a quality product.

Even after 29 years Catherine never undertook any of the butchery herself instead deferring to Roberts expertise because she believed that is what the customers deserved.

The decision was validated, and for Garry Harding from Hillwood it made the choice between driving to Launceston or popping up to George Town an easy one.

Though the story is over for the Bannons, they were open to letting aspiring butchers in on the secret that brings people to their shop from all over Tasmania.

"I've got a secret ingredient and I can tell the world now ... it's meat," Robert said.

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