Retiring after forty years of delivering to the local community
Alan Perkins retiring after 40 years
|
Alan Perkins, the milkman who has served the Chiswick area for over 40 years, has recorded a song to mark his retirement.
Alan’s musical talent was not previously unknown in Chiswick as he was a regular performer on drums for the Bats of Ealing at the Bedford Park Festival.
He is assisted in the 'Milkman's Swansong' by Chrissie Perkins who has performed in the West End when people used to do such things.
Although he bids a fond farewell to his customers in the song, he has a parting shot of the dairy company who he says ‘wants efficiency but disregards community.’
He also complains about a loss of identity saying he had been rebranded as a delivery driver rather than a milkman.
Here are the lyrics of the song:
"I'm in mourning this morning, cos it's dawning on me
This is now the end of my Milk delivery
My milkfloat is complaining, although I keep explaining
The dairies don't want milkmen anymore
With new employment policy
Delivery drivers we must be
They've stolen my identity
So now i'm singing the milkman swansong
Singing the milkman swansong
Singing the milkman swansong
Singing before i'm gone, gone, gone, gone, gone
The milkman's job has changed, and there's nothing to be gained
from trying to fight against the system
Everything must be online, delivered in the night-time
I never see my customers, I miss them
The dairy wants efficiency
But disregards community
Just cogs in their machinery
So now i'm singing.........
I might not get another message in a bottle
I've done my round for forty years, the chink of bottles in my ears
And customers in many ways are friends
But now it's time to draw the line, make my deliveries one last time
And bid farewell, for now the story ends
But you, dear milkfloat, you must carry on!
So now i'm singing........
'So tell me, how much is it, a pint of milk in Chiswick?'
A lovely lady once said to me.
'Well, i'm glad you asked, cos when it comes in glass
It only costs you 27p ( but that was in 1983!)'
Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We’ve always done that and won’t be changing, in fact we’d like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we’d be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you’d like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |
December 20, 2020
