I became obsessed with the Angliss Meatworks after a conversation with family members who are long-time Footscray residents, when they told me about the fire that consumed the part-demolished meatworks buildings while they were living nearby.  

My research took me many places; to a collection of interviews with ex-Angliss employees, The Lifeblood of Footscray: working lives at the Angliss Meatworks, to walking the ground with Peter Haffenden from Living Museum of the West, to my own interviews with meatworkers and unionists, to the treasure trove of archives at the Footscray Historical Society and finally to my own tour of a working abattoir. 

Having previously worked at State Library Victoria, I knew about their incredible collection and the Ask a Librarian service where patrons can ask librarians for help with their research queries, and I was thrilled when Sarah Matthews found historical maps and images to help with my research. Librarians truly are the best.