Whenever you have had a morning brew at cafes across Millicent and district for the past 20 years, you can thank Greg Hudson.
The popular milk wholesaler has been delivering to 30 local cafes and shops throughout this time.
Now the popular milky has called time on the business he has operated with his life partner Janine Farmer.
The couple has handed over the keys to their large refrigerated van and Rendelsham Road depot to fellow Millicent residents Paula and Peter Wright.
Greg and Janine have one common aim in retirement and that is to jump on planes and go travelling.
Otherwise, Greg will be looking to reduce his golf handicap while Janine will work in the garden of their historic home which was built by the pioneering McCourt family.
Before that, Greg needs to have surgery on a shoulder.
He has few regrets about retirement but will miss the five-times-weekly calls to deliver milk and fruit juices to his 30 clients.
“They are located in businesses at Millicent, Beachport, Southend and Mount Burr,” Greg said.
“I will miss the regular contact with these people.
“I can honestly say there is not one local shop or business which I do not like entering.
“Everyone gets along with everyone else.”
Greg said business owners like Mark Pilmore who formerly operated Acky’s Deli in Millicent were always keen for a chat.
He was also a licensed milk vendor in his home city of Mount Gambier for just over a decade before coming to Millicent.
There were a couple of difficult clients in the Blue Lake city which took the gloss off an otherwise enjoyable job.
The surge in the so-called “coffee culture” in recent years has sweetened the turnover figures for Greg and Janine.
They have also witnessed the trend to drink skim and other specialty milks and adjusted their stocks accordingly.
“Nowadays, only 50% of our sales are full cream milk,” Greg said.
After 31 years of early starts, Greg and Janine can now throw away the alarm clock.
For Peter, his new role offers self-employment and a break from working at the billion-dollar Kimberly-Clark Australia Millicent Mill.
His working life will now be spent driving a truck and making deliveries along with the renowned “bon homie” for which milkies are renowned.
Paula will be tending to the administrative side of the business.
