Vale Tony Nolan

AMIC would like to acknowledge the sad passing of Tony Nolan of Nolan Meats, Gympie on the 20th May 2026.

Tony, along with his brothers Michael and Terry have been Directors of the Company since 1997. They have continued the legacy started by their parents, Pat and Marie who opened a retail butcher shop in Gympie in 1958.

It is easy to view Nolan Meats in two chapters. Chapter 1, Pre-2000 and Chapter 2, Post-2000. The three boys decided to move away from retailing in the late 1990’s. Their focus was on efficient Meat Processing.

Tony’s technical expertise with systems development, computer programming, accounting and general curious nature, has assisted the family in driving efficiencies within their business. Tony’s input has been pivotal in innovations pioneered by Nolan Meats.

As a qualified Electrical Engineer, he joined the Team in 1982. His tertiary discipline taught him an understanding of ‘power and control’ as any good Electrical Engineers know. He applied the thinking of quality inputs, into any process, increase the certainty of outputs through process control. This early innovative thinking was applied to animal nutrition, both bovine and porcine in formulating feed rations.

As early as 1994 he initiated some of the first Programable Logic Controllers (PLC) in refrigeration processes, which nearly all of industry has now adopted. Early Electronic Identification Devices (EID) in livestock for through-chain traceability were in use at Nolan Meats 15 years before NLIS was truly adopted Nationally.

Today’s everyday use of eNVD and eMTC were in developmental and trial stages at Nolan Meats during Tier 1 Export trials from 2003. This is largely due to Tony’s curiosity, technical know-how and the Nolan desire to put efficiencies back into the industry we know and love.

The Nolan brothers, Michael, Tony and Terry, were a formidable Team in moving the Nolans’ business and industry forward. Michael, ‘the builder’, Tony, ‘the technical expert’ and Terry ‘the face in industry forums’.

Playing a part in the early development and adoption of MSA, through the Brisbane MSA Pilot in the late 90’s. Undertaking the Meat Safety Enhancement Program Trial into the US from 2006-2008 and being recognised in a USDA FSIS Federal Register Notice of March 2011. Installing the largest Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS) in the Southern Hemisphere at their Gympie Plant in 2017. Nolan Meats is now closing Chapter 2 of their history and would like to be remembered as a catalyst for change.

Tony will always be remembered as an innovator, technical expert and quiet achiever. His skills, knowledge, passion for accuracy and creative spirit has left a silent and indelible mark on Australia’s Meat Industry today.

AMIC is grateful for the behind the scenes, advisor who has fulfilled the Nolan Family founder’s wishes of Pat Nolan, when he said, “Make sure you always put back into industry, at least the amount you have taken out.”

Vale Tony Nolan.