But for him it was the Woodhills, Mates, Emmotts, Young's and the Grace Bros building.

The grand old building is undergoing a multi-million dollar facelift and by this time next year it's hoped it will be reinvented as a state of the art office space.

For 35 years Les called the building home.

His is one of a many names etched on a wall under the building's ornate staircase when Grace Bros shut down - staff put their names there for prosperity.

Les started at the building in November 1968, as a 15-year-old, when the business was operating as Woodhills.

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"I was just out of school and worked in the groceries section to start with," he said.

"I was doing anything, whatever they wanted me to do. Unloading trucks, helping do the grocery packing, packing the shelves, whatever had to be done."

At the time the business had two vehicles doing home deliveries.

"We went right out to Vincentia, Huskisson, out to Pyree and Greenwell Point, Culburra, Currarong and Berry way, and all down through the farms," he said.

"People would either ring in orders or staff would ring the properties each week, get orders and then have them delivered."

Around 1972 the business became Mates, then later Emmotts,Young's and finally Grace Brose.

"Seen a few changes," he said.

"Probably the most significant was when they got rid of the furniture and went more into clothing and electrical. That was in the Young's days, prior to Grace Bros taking over."

At its height there were "easily 40 permanent staff, office staff and then more casual staff".

"A lot of those worked here for a number of years," he said.

"We were like a big family. Quite a few of the girls would leave, go and have a family and then come back.

"It was one of the biggest employers in the Nowra CBD."

Les progressed from the grocery section to the floor coverings and furniture, which included measuring and quoting on blinds, and helping put up curtain orders with the girls in the Manchester department.

He then moved into the toys' section for a while before taking over the electrical department when Dick Roberts retired.

"I finished in the electrical section when they closed the store in 2003," he said.

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"I was probably in the electrical section for about 15 years."

And while he achieved 35 years of service, he says one employee, Charlie Brown, worked in menswear at the business for more than 50 years .

"He was here when I first started," he said.

"A few others had done quite a few years but I was the longest serving staff member of the final crew when we closed."

He fondly remembers working with many great people, including the likes of Pearl Biggs, Katrina Osborne, Bev Tully, Graham Swan, Robert Despea, Wayne Kendall, Bert Salway, Les Chittick, Fred Miller and Peter Brack, just to name a few.

As for the names under the stairs - "It was the idea of all staff," he said.

"When they were closing us we decided we'd put our names there and sign it and leave our mark on building and see what happened."

Such was the connection the staff had, as mentioned it was like a big family, that now even 17 years later they still try to catch up regularly.

"A number of the former staff have regular get togethers," Mr Bryant said.

"We had 20-30 to the last one. The first reunion had about 45 people attend. Now it's not just the last staff, it's open to anyone who worked in the building at one time or another.

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"But who knows what will happen now with coronavirus. Our get togethers might be on hold for a while."

There would not be too many kids in Nowra who hadn't, at one time or another, tried to slide down the bannister on the building's famous stairs, or sat on Santa's lap.

"My father (Alf) played Santa for a period of time," he said.

"Probably about six years. None of the grandkids knew who it was. My sisters at first didn't know it was him either, he made himself up really well.

"He also played Santa in the big Santa parade."

Les and his wife Catherine were given a tour of the old building by new owner and developer Maurice Bertapelle, of Iconic Property Holdings, part of the Iconic Group.

Although only taking over the building on July 31, already great moves have been made in the restoration of the historic Nowra CBD structure.

Something the Bryants are certainly delighted with .

"I think it's fantastic that someone wants to bring this old building back to its former glory," Les said.

"It is a wonderful building.

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"It's excellent that someone has fallen in love with it and wants to do something with it, instead of knocking it down.

"That would have been a real loss to the heritage of Nowra if it had just been knocked down."

Interestingly, despite his 35 years of working at the location, Les has never been in the actual "famed tunnel".

"Never been in the tunnels as such," he said.

"I've been down underneath the floor which is where they stored all the paperwork from years ago.

"We cleaned that out before we left but I've never been in the tunnel.

"None of the old timers when I first started even talked about it.

"It would be fascinating to have a look if they ever got the door open. I definitely like to have a look."

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And what about Claude, supposedly the building's resident ghost?

"I don't believe in Claude," he said.

"I've been in this shop many times by myself, at all times of the day and night. In the dark of the night and morning and never heard or saw Claude," he said.

"They say if you don't believe, you don't see or hear

"I don't know how he got his name, but the stories was he used to live upstairs.

"Quite a few of the others said they often heard doors banging or shutting, things getting moved from where they should be.

"They always blamed Claude, but I never saw or heard anything."

Even if Mr Bryant doesn't believe, Claude has been immortalised with his name also among those of the staff under the stairs.

And his does take a bit of beating - Claude - 1893-2006.