Lee Family

The Lee family’s presence in Cobden started soon after Frederick William Lee and Anne Gallagher wed in Garvoc in 1904 and settled in our town.

The couple had three children – Stanley James (1905), John Frederick (1910) and Catherine (1912). Fred was a qualified butcher and it is presumed he worked in the trade locally. Over the years, he started a wood-yard as well as being responsible for lighting the gas lights every night.

Stanley James left school at 13 and worked with his father for many years before venturing on various enterprises of his own. He and his brother Jack purchased a quantity of roller-skates and visited all the dance halls in the area renting the skates to the locals.

In the 1920s, Stan acquired a steam engine and a threshing machine and provided a service to the local farms, chaff cutting and threshing the crops.

Stan also provided a bus service from Cobden to Camperdown Railway Station which he sold to Dave Wedge in 1935 when his wife Mary won the ‘Spot the Football’ in The Sun newspaper receiving several hundred pounds. This money, plus Stan’s savings, gave them sufficient capital to purchase a business in Camperdown.

Then, after a gap of 37 years, the Lees came back to Cobden.

In 1972, Stan Lee Jnr and his brother John purchased the corner grocery business at no 33 Curdie St from Frank and Dulcie Roberts. They traded in the same building until a larger property became available across the road during the 1980s. This site served its purpose for a number of years until it was bursting at the seams.

In 1999, a huge development took place costing nearly $3 million. In 2002, Stan accepted an offer from Ritchies Supermarkets so ending many years of the Lee family in Cobden – although they did retain the freehold on the building.

Countless young people have been given a taste of retail business as work placement students or as casual employees while still at school. The management and staff took great pride in the fact that many of these students moved into tertiary education, apprenticeships and traineeships, and are working all over the world.

Working under long-serving store managers like Dulcie Roberts, John Lee (no relation) and Paul ‘Herm’ Brebner, huge numbers of full and part-time staff enjoyed years of steady employment. In return, the staff provided 30 years of welcoming service to the Cobden and district community.