Vic and Nellie Bull (1952)
This photo, taken by my father Victor Edward Bull in October 1952, is of his parents Victor Albert Bull and Nellie May Quong. It came into my possession after my father, an only child, died in 2016. They lived in Preston at the time, and my father had just recently married my mother in June of 1952.
I like to think that he took this photo as a memento of his parents, who were aged in their late forties. Nellie set quite the precedent in her family of nine siblings by marrying a non-Chinese man in 1925. Her two older sisters had both married Chinese men, but after Nellie, her two younger sisters both married non-Chinese men also. The newspaper they are holding is “The Herald” published in Melbourne, on Friday October 3rd, 1952. The headline reads “British A Weapon Fired”, which must have been quite the headline at the time, the explosion of Britain’s first atomic weapon.
I absolutely love and treasure this photo, because it depicts the era, and the home they shared, and they look so cosy on the couch. It also shows what a good photographer my father was, as it is beautifully composed. Dad was a very keen photographer, with his own darkroom. He was also secretary of the Northcote Camera Club for many years.
Noela Bull
Image Source: Bull Family Collection
Creator: Victor Edward Bull
Date of creation: 1952
Place: Preston
People: Victor Albert Bull and Nellie May Quong
A wonderful photograph, and story.