John Watson (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Tonight I rise to honour a man who served the Senate for most of his working life. I refer to Mr Roy Edward Bullock OBE who passed away recently. Roy Bullock was Clerk of the Senate in 1979 and 1980 prior to his retirement due to ill health, and I honestly believe that I am the only serving senator who worked with Mr Bullock in those years prior to his retirement. His retirement in 1980 ended a dedicated and long term of service to the Senate, dating back to 1946.

Roy Bullock was born in Wagga in 1916 and went on to earn an honours degree in arts from the University of Sydney and a degree in commerce from the University of Melbourne. He worked briefly on the staff of Trinity Grammar School in Sydney in 1939 and worked with the Commonwealth Treasury between 1939 and 1946.

He began his work for the Commonwealth parliament in 1946 and married his wife of nearly 60 years, Phyllis, in 1948. Although it is sometimes an overused and misapplied description, Roy Bullock was definitely a true gentleman of the old school. Commencing his parliamentary service as Clerk of Papers and Accountant in 1946, Roy Bullock became chamber officer in 1954 when he was promoted to the position of Usher of the Black Rod. From 1965 he served as Deputy Clerk and was promoted to be the ninth Clerk of the Senate on 9 August 1979.

During his years with the Senate, Mr Bullock served on a number of delegations to the Interparliamentary Union and acted as secretary to the Senate Select Committee on the Development of Canberra, the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the Senate Regulations and Ordinances Committee. In 1969, he was awarded the Order of the British Empire for his service to the parliament.

When he retired due to ill health in 1980, Roy Bullock received accolades from the President at the time, Senator Sir Condor Laucke, as well as senators from government, opposition and crossbenches paying tribute to his great experience, his store of knowledge and his service to the parliament. The President, Sir Condor Laucke, paid the following tribute:

He has been a dedicated Senate Officer and has always been available and ready to advise when needed.

He went on:

The many articles that he wrote for publication in overseas parliamentary journals on the activities of the Senate and its committees are testimony to his expert knowledge and dedication. I am sure that all honourable senators join with me in the hope that time will restore his health and enable him to enjoy a long and happy retirement with his wife and family.

As indeed he did.

Other accolades followed from Senators Chaney, Button, Chipp, Young, O’Byrne, Davidson, McLaren, Georges, Collard, Harradine, Bishop from South Australia and Evans from Victoria. I note from the Hansard of that day, 26 November 1980, that note was made of the promotion of one Mr H Evans to the position of Principal Parliamentary Officer, Special Projects, so I am not the only person here who knew Roy Bullock and his work, as the current Clerk also does.

It must be remembered by younger and newer senators here tonight that Roy Bullock’s career in the parliament was served in the Old Parliament House, where regular contact between senators and those who worked in the building was very different from the current situation in this spacious and at times very impersonal building. It was a place where you got to know your colleagues and other workers much better because necessity drove us to be working much more closely than we do here, certainly in a physical sense.

Sir Condor Laucke’s wishes that Roy Bullock’s health would improve to allow him a long and happy retirement turned out to be fulfilled, as he passed away at the noble age of 89, hopefully after many opportunities to enjoy his favourite recreations of gardening and photography in this city he loved so much, Canberra. I pass on to his wife, Phyllis, and to his family my sincere condolences at their sad loss. Mr Roy Bullock was a true and faithful servant of this house, and his work will be remembered as a valued part of the history and traditions of the Senate.