In fact he has spent much of his life in Liebig Street where he has been a butcher for almost 50 years.

He was born and raised in a house behind the butcher’s shop bought by his grandparents in 1936 — only a stone’s throw from an earlier shop the family operated for the previous 11 years.

Sixty-four-year-old Mr Lucas’ career started well before his official apprenticeship in 1962 when as a lad he would sweep sawdust on the shop floor.

“Dad would drop threepences and sixpences onto the floor to keep me interested in sweeping,” he recalled.

“I’d also fold newspapers for wrapping the meat, then went over the road to sell copies of The Herald.”

Behind his grandparents’ house where he lived, horses were kept in an adjoining paddock for hauling carts on home deliveries.

Back in the 1950s the southern end of Liebig Street was a retail and commercial hub, unlike today when it’s dominated by restaurants.

Then there were three banks, a huge Cramond and Dickson clothing store, Duirs and Warrell grocery store, Batros’ shoe shop, Welsh’s bakery and Alan Cole’s fruit and grocery shop.

The city centre was a buzz of activity, especially on Wednesdays when farmers would come in for weekly livestock auctions at the saleyards on Raglan Parade where Swan Reserve now sits.

“When I started work there were six butchers’ shops in Liebig Street, now we are the last,” he said.

“The street changed a lot in the ’70s when a lot of shops were empty and business moved to the centre block.

“Slowly restaurants started to fill the gaps in the southern end. Closures have happened in the past, but the street has survived. Warrnambool is strong enough to survive.

“Young traders will come in to take up the slack.”

His son Adam will continue the Lucas tradition when Mr Lucas and his wife Helen decide to take a well-earned retirement.