General News
29 May, 2026
Marking 25 years of dedication
LAST week saw one employee at Camperdown’s IGA marking a quarter of a century of service to the store.
Nicole Eagle has worked at the store for 25 years, starting back when it was known as Lee’s IGA.
She said she applied for a job when she turned 15, following her sister who was already employed at the store.
Her brothers and a number of her cousins had also worked there.
“The then-store manager Herm Brebner approached me asking me if I wanted a job,” Mrs Eagle said.
“Back then, it was Lee’s IGA and when Ritchies took over from Stan and Mary Lee in 2001, I stayed on full time.
“What was meant to be a two-year gig has turned into 25 years.
“I started as a 15-year-old junior stacking shelves and, from when I went full time, I have worked in many different areas including registers, deli, dairy freezer, scanning and around two years ago I worked my way up to be the assistant store manager.
“It’s been fun – lots of different choices to be had.”
Today, Mrs Eagle is the assistant manager of the store and enjoys doing all sorts of jobs – including being a part of the Corangamite Hockey Club outside of work hours.
Mrs Eagle said she is very fond of Camperdown, saying she won’t move to another store thanks to the strong connection with the community.
“What I like best about working here is that I get to see the locals every day and that Ritchies have donated over $54 million to many schools, clubs and charities,” she said.
“As a first job, it’s a great opportunity.
“Thank you Ritchies and Lees for having me for 25 years.”
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