VIDEO: Last round for Tony after 43 years' delivering milk

The Rose Green resident retires reluctantly next week, but 'with countless happy and funny memories'.

Tony (65) decided to become a milkman in 1965 and stated work in Bognor aged 22.

"In those days I had a milk cart which I had to push along, and I would walk miles from the Co-op depot in Ockley Road, doing my rounds in all weathers. So it was a very healthy job," said Tony.

"Later on I got a motorised float which was good because it meant I had cover and wouldn't get battered by the wind and rain."

Tony delivered to the Bognor area for more than 20 years, covering between 500 and 600 homes each morning. Later he moved to the former Unigate depot, now Dairy Crest, at Terminus Road in Chichester, where he has been based for the past 12 years to deliver the 'city round'.

"I'm retiring because I need to have knee replacements, but I would stay on in the job if I could because it's a fantastic job to have," he said.

"I've always liked being out on my own and not having anyone to answer to, plus I like the early mornings and being outdoors."

"In the early days I only delivered milk, cream and yoghurts. But now we have to compete with the shops, so I sell things like potatoes, vegetables, lemonade and compost."

Tony, who has one son and two stepchildren, says he describes his milk float as a 'supermarket on wheels'.

"I've met so many people doing my job, some have become my friends, others have died over the years.

"I once went to deliver milk to an old lady I knew. She had fallen to the floor and I had to call an ambulance out for her. Another time I shut a cat's tail in a gate. People have asked me to come into their home to get rid of a spider, to open a jammed window, or just to listen to their troubles."

"I will definitely miss it. I'd like to thank all my customers over the years for making my job so enjoyable."

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