The Buttery, Uki

The Heart of Dairy Country

In 1908, local dairy farmers convinced the North Coast Co-operative Butter Company to build a factory here, promising enough cream to produce two and a half tons of butter weekly. By 1914, the Uki factory was producing an impressive 149 tons of butter annually!

The original timber factory was built in 1910 and later rebuilt with cement-rendered brick in the late 1930s. Two employee cottages were constructed—one for the manager at 1450 Kyogle Road and another for the engineer at 1452 Kyogle Road. During the floods of 1954, 1956, and 2017, water lapped underneath the floorboards of these cottages.

Despite considerable local opposition, the factory closed on 30th September 1947, though it continued operating as a depot for Norco small goods until the 1960s.

The Butter and Beer Connection

Here's a fascinating tidbit: in Uki's early days, the cool rooms of the butter factory were used to store the pub's beer kegs. Workers were known to secretly tap the kegs for a sneaky drink!

During dances at the Hall, a fire would be lit in a drum inside the Buttery building, creating the perfect setting for "social interaction" away from prying eyes and bright lights.

A Shooting at the Factory!

After the butter factory closed, local Higginbottom and Stapleton boys discovered it was great fun to climb the steps to the tall tank stand at night and go swimming in the tanks. They were terrified of Connie Walls, the caretaker, and took great pains to avoid being caught.

The boys would often make mischief by hitting sticks against the galvanised railing around the Uki War Memorial. Connie repeatedly threatened them, and one night, she appeared with a shotgun and fired toward the War Memorial! The pellets hit the galvanised pipe with a terrible noise, and poor Colin Higginbottom was shot in the leg with pellets.