I remember.

I remember getting milk delivered every day, first in glass bottles with alfoil lids that birds used to peck through and then in the new fangled tetra packs. I remember the “milko”, who was often a surfer because he had the rest of the day off, coming by at the end of the week to collect his payment from Mum. Not that I’d tell my mother but those milk bottles, especially the neighbour’s, sure came in handy on those early morning returns from the night before. I also remember if you didn’t get up early enough and it was a hot sunny day, the milk wasn’t worth drinking after 3 hours on the front step.

In the day, that was considered the height of convenience and when they added the baker doing a bread run we wondered if it could get any better. We knew the suppliers by name and the relationship was such that the occasional late payment or a request for extra buns was all taken in stride, after all they knew where we lived.

Then corner stores with funny American names got more prolific, the “servo’ started selling milk and before we knew it, convenience meant walking to the corner or jumping into the car to go to the mall because the “milko” and his bread bearing mate were out of a job. Where did they go? Are they still at the beach waiting on a call to come back?

I’m all for convenience, in fact I’ve just moved into an apartment above an underground shopping centre, but there was a loss of connection with the people we used to do business face to face. Are we missing that?

So isn’t it interesting that Aussie Farmers Direct, are working towards daily delivery of milk and bread to households? With 55,000 customers in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Brisbane I can see the ubiquitous “milko” doing the rounds with his surfboard in the back of the van. Everything old is new again!

Of course the technology required to make this happen seamlessly has improved and no doubt, you can order online or even via your iPhone, no matter where and when you desperately need some milk home delivered. Is this the start of something? What else can we expect? What about house calls from the doctor, trades people actually showing up at your house or someone to pump your petrol and clean your windows? What about service with a smile?

Technology can accomplish great things but sometimes it just can’t replace people and I’ll certainly be giving the local “milko” a big wave when I see him next. I just don’t know how he is going to get to my front door via the various security gates in my apartment complex?

Is nostalgia the next great innovation?