Back in 1952, a love of good barbecue lit a fire under George Stephen. The most popular barbecue of the day was a flat open brazier— a product George found woefully under-engineered. He knew there had to be a better way. One day, George was about to weld two buoy halves together when the idea hit: Why not use the bottom half for the cooking bowl, and the top half for the lid to create a barbecue? The rest of which, is history. Jumping to Australia in the mid-1970s, a young accountant named Ross McDonald lost his job… and it was the best thing that ever happened to him. Ross McDonald loved barbecuing and entertaining, and losing his job was the perfect excuse for him to pursue his passion. Ross cooked everything on his Weber Kettle barbecue and knew it was something truly special. If you bought a Weber kettle from Ross McDonald in the 1970s, there was a good chance you got your first meal included for free. And we don’t mean that he provided the food or the fuel. Ross would actually deliver the barbecues himself and cook the customer’s first meal. He’d show the customer how to set the fire, what to do with the vents, and when to put the lid on. All this to make sure the customer had an amazing experience with their barbecue. Fast forward to today, and Weber is Australia’s most loved barbecue. It seems almost everyone has a memory, a story, or an experience to share with a smile when it comes to talking about Weber. Memories of ‘Mum’s Sunday Weber roast’ or ‘the baby Weber we take everywhere’, stories of camping trips or Christmas dinners, of smoked pork ribs or simply ‘the best steak I’ve ever eaten’. Australia’s affinity for Weber barbecues all started with one man’s passion and dedication to putting Weber flavour in people’s mouths. And the rest, as they say, is history.