Mr F. A. Bull

Press, 4 December 1981, Page 3

Mr F. A. Bull

A Sheffield farmer, Mr Frederick Alexander Bull, who gave outstanding service to a wide variety of community organisations, died recently. He was 74. Mr Bull was born at Waddington in the old “Pine House," beside the Waddington store, where his father had a butcher’s shop before taking up farming in the district. As an old boy of St Andrew's College Mr Bull continued to serve the school as a board member for 39 years until he retired last year. He was a past president of the college Old Boys' Association, and was made a life member shortly before his death. Mr Bull was a member of the Malvern Presbyterian session for 45 years and its clerk for 36 yea’rs. Also a lay preacher, he preached in churches of other denominations in the Malvern district. He was chairman of the committee for the Sheffield School’s centennial celebrations and contributed material for the booklet on the school history. He wrote the twenty-first anniversary booklet of the Sheffield Young Farmers’ Club, to which he gave a lot of help, particularly coaching two of the club's teams to national Y.F.C. wins in 1952 and 1967. Such was Mr Bull’s work for the community groups that he was secretary of seven organisations simultaneously. He was secretary of the local branch of the former Farmers’ Union. He was a past president of the Malvern A. and P. Association, and was its secretary for 19 years. He was secretary of the Malvern Lions

Club at the time of his death and he had been a Justice of the Peace since 1952. Mr Bull was prominent with the late Mr H. L. Spark, later of Rangiora, in forming a choir which flourished during the early 19305, to become the Malvern Musical Society. Mr Bull became an enthusiastic amateur film maker recording much district history as well as recording events further afield. His collection includes films of 150 weddings of families in the district and in other parts of the country. Some of his films have featured in television documentaries. Mr Bull was well known for his humorous poetry, including commentaries on local personalities, for which he had many requests to recite at concerts. His last public appearance was at the Christchurch Town Hall during the recent Presbyterian General Assembly at which he compered a Malvern Parish presentation. He is survived by his wife and three sons.