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Milkman of the Year 2007
THE CREAM OF THE CROP
The Milkman Of The Year competition is run annually to highlight the great work that milkmen carry out every single day of the year. Customers across Northern Ireland were asked to nominate their individual milkmen and as a result three Dale Farm milkmen won the regional heats.
The County Antrim finalist was George Ferguson who was nominated by his customer Esther McGroogan from Newtownabbey who said, “George has been our milkman for the past 30 years. He has always been truly reliable, delivering milk no matter what. I always look forward to seeing him, because he always has a smile on his face and a quick joke to share. More importantly though, he is a very kind man and looks out for his elderly customers. Once he arrived to deliver the milk to my mother and found her very ill. He raised the alarm and stayed with her until help arrived.”
Eric McMillan, a Dale Farm milkman for over 35 years, won the Belfast area of the competition with his customer Nicola Wilson commenting, “The last thing I’d want to do if I’d been working all night is chat to everyone but Eric always has time for his customers. He is just a very warm and friendly person who remembers your name and everything about you. He’s more than just the milkman, he’s a part of the community here.”
The County Tyrone winner was Billy McCoy from Cookstown and his customer May Faulkner commented, “Billy provides an outstanding service and could convince anyone to drink milk. The duller the morning in Tyrone, the brighter his smile. He is as regular as an alarm clock and with his gleaming milk float, Billy is a credit to the industry.”
Each winner has become a local celebrity and had to deal with various levels of publicity — from interviews on radio through to coverage in their local newspapers. The finals took place on the 4th April at Belfast Castle and each milkman had to undergo an interview with a panel of judges. So a huge congratulations to the three Dale Farm milkmen who reached this stage and the fantastic profile they have given to their great service and the dedication to each of their customers!
