Smoke and Soul
Published on 24 July 2026
At 6 o clock on a freezing Hamilton morning, the caravan park is still asleep as Dave Meadows starts lighting the charcoal. Soon, he rouses his wife Cara and daughters Charlotte and Sofia to start food prep. They take chopping boards, knives and trays from a purpose-built barbecue trailer and start getting ready for another huge day. In just a few hours, this family will feed more than a hundred strangers in Hamilton.
Smoke & Soul is a family operated food drive, partnering with local charities to bring delicious, low and slow BBQ to people in need. Food drive is an apt term for the tour, which left Adelaide to snake its way through Victoria, New South Wales, Canberra and Queensland - with smokers, ovens and all else in tow.
When asked where this whole idea started, Dave often speaks of a cold night in Adelaide and the enormous impact it had on him.
“We had been doing our thing, helping out at Vinnies in Adelaide. We did a big feed on this freezing cold night. I mean really cold - we were all rugged up, everyone is in hats and coats and after the service a guy came up to me to have a word.”
A man in his late twenties approached. Dave was shocked to see that despite the brutal weather; the man was barefoot. He had on torn shorts and a shredded shirt and everything he owned beside him in a single shopping bag.
“He was so polite - sheepish almost, and he asked would it be possible to get something to eat, and my heart just broke.
“We said absolutely mate, loaded him up a plate and a big to-go box packed with barbecue and I pointed him down the other end of the table because the people we were working with were able to kit him out with shoes, clothes, pants, jacket, anything we could do. I remember thinking that this problem, homelessness, people living so close to the line, it’s not going away.”
“I love barbecue, I love to cook,” said Dave. “I remember the first time we took the setup down to Vinnies. They told us that because they work to such tight budgets, all they can usually put on for people is soup, sandwiches, you know - plain food. That evening I did brisket, ribs, pork shoulder, all the classic American barbecue dishes because I wanted to give people something they probably don’t get a chance to experience very often.
“That first time, the feedback was so amazing. It wasn’t just the food we were putting on; it was the effort we had gone to; it was the love we had put into the food. That really mattered to people. After that, we decided we had to make it a regular thing.”
Eventually an idea formed in Dave’s mind, one that sounded ridiculous at first. Load the smokers onto a trailer, hitch it to the Ute and drive around Australia feeding people in need.
“I admit it was a bit out there,” laughed Dave, “but Cara was on board, the girls were on board.”
Dave, never a natural public speaker, spent months reaching out to charities across Australia trying to make the right connections to make the journey work.
“We heard a lot of charities say yeah sounds great, if we see you, we see you. They were sceptical and I can understand it. Apparently, lots of people get in contact when they’re feeling generous and offer food or services and a lot of them don’t follow through.”
Eventually the plan came together, the route formed and Dave and his family, now known as Smoke & Soul, could get on the road. The journey has been made possible through generous sponsors and through a GoFundMe which raised thousands of dollars for the mammoth effort. Now, every few days they can pull into a new town, gather people around the smoker and meet the community.
“We’re trying to put on a feed every three days, we travel on day one, day two is food prep and the big shop and then day three is the cook up. We try to source everything locally which means it can be a full day finding your way around a new town. In Hamilton, we bought everything at Your Regional Butcher in the Hub, and they did us a great deal on everything and talked to us for a long time about the housing crisis in town.
“They told us the same thing we were hearing from local charities, that the numbers of people needing a hand had doubled in the past two years, with more people living in cars than ever.”
The tour started in Adelaide where they fed eighty people on the first day. From Adelaide they moved on to Hamilton where a hundred people turned up for a feast of slow cooked pulled pork rolls. When Dave, Cara, Charlotte and Sofia brought their custom trailers to the Salvation Army church on Kennedy Street in Hamilton, they were floored by the support they received.
“That was a day we’ll never, ever forget.”
By the time lunch rolled around, the smell of slow-cooked pork wafted throughout town. Volunteers packed takeaway containers for those who couldn’t make it, organised the growing crowd of happy people and kept fresh rolls moving to the barbecue trailer.
“The volunteers at the Hamilton Salvos were absolutely incredible. Everyone was just so friendly, so enthusiastic, they immediately started cutting rolls for us. They were so happy to have us. I’m really proud of my family and particularly my eldest daughter Charlotte who’s only nine. She was so kind and lovely to everyone. It’s every parent’s dream.”
Dave lives with a speech impairment that has caused him significant struggle in the past, but he knew that he couldn’t let that hold him back from doing something he’s always wanted to do.
“I knew I would probably have to speak publicly on this tour. We’ve had attention from the radio and people have filmed interviews. On top of that I’m vlogging the whole thing. But if I had let my fears hold me back from speaking, honestly none of this would ever have happened.”
To follow along on this incredible journey or to donate to this worthy cause, check out the smoke and soul website.
“I’m so happy we’re doing this. It hasn’t been easy, but we don’t mind. This is something my family and I will have forever.”