"Ever since there's been a Sunshine Harvester Works, there has been the Bult family". (Sunshine Review, September 1952, p.10)

The McKay company had a long tradition of employing members of the one family across generations. The Bults were one of the long-standing families employed by H.V McKay's firm, providing the company with four generations of workers - a total of 23 family members The Bults began their association in the late 1880s when McKay was still in Ballarat. They moved to Braybrook Junction (later known as Sunshine) with McKay in the early 1900s and continued to work for the company up until the late 1960s. Across four generations, the family accumulated over 600 years of service to the company. D.B Ferguson, an executive at Sunshine Harvester, jokingly likened the family to cockroaches, "everytime you turn something over you find one!" (Sunshine Review, September 1952, p.10).

 Walter William Bult Snr was the first family member to be employed by McKay in Ballarat in 1888. He was employed as a timber yard buyer and expert, a role he remained in for the next 35 years. Walter was followed by his sons John, George and Fred who arrived in the early 1890s and played an important role in developing the company and its products. Following the company's re-establishment after it went into liquidation, George and John (together with Bill Hopkins) were contracted in 1895 to build the company's first 12 harvesters. At this stage, McKay's firm was situated in a disused boiler yard in Yuille Street, Ballarat. By 1896, the Bults and Hopkins built fifty machines.

While George worked as turner and factory manager, John went on to assist in building the company's international reputation. When a severe drought in Australia reached its peak in 1902, the company was left with 200 new but unsellable harvesters. At the suggestion of Sam McKay (Hugh Victor's brother), the company looked into trading their products overseas, beginning with Argentina. Together with Sam McKay and two other men, John travelled to Argentina in 1902 with 50 fully assembled harvesters. John made subsequent trips to Argentina, becoming a foreman in the company's Buenos Aires factory. Between 1903 and 1916, 20,000 machines were sold in Argentina. John firmly cemented McKay's presence in the South American market and received a share of the company's profits from sales in Argentina.

George and John were later joined by their other siblings in Ballarat and later Braybrook Junction following the factory's relocation in 1907. Frank, Fred and Albert worked as shop foremen, while William, Percy and Richard established themselves as a labourer, moulder and tinsmith, respectively. Subsequent generations of the Bult family entered into various roles in Sunshine's factory and office, including those of a storeman, turner and fitter, toolmaker, foreman, assembler, electrician and carpenter. Three female members were also employed by the company. Peggy Dunn and her mother worked as nurses, while Beverley Ann was a timekeeper.

Walter Snr's grandson George David Bult was the last family member to be employed at the factory. George Jnr joined the company in 1921. He worked in different positions, including factory foreman, draftsman and fitter and assembler until the 1960s.

References
Copy of Photographs - Harvester Business in Argentina, 1903-1916. Museum Victoria, H.V McKay Sunshine Collection, registration no. HT 31651.
Memorandum of Agreement - H.V McKay and John Bult, 26 May 1903. Museum Victoria, H.V McKay Sunshine Collection, registration no. HT 31835.
Memorandum of Agreement - H.V McKay and John Bult, 23 August 1905. Museum Victoria, H.V McKay Sunshine Collection, registration no. HT 31845.
Notes - George Bult Speech, 1929. Museum Victoria, H.V McKay Sunshine Collection, registration no. HT 31999.
Notes - Memories of George Bult, 16 June 1948. Museum Victoria, H.V McKay Sunshine Collection, registration no. HT 31998.
Sunshine Review, Vol. 3, No. 6, March 1946; Vol. 4, No. 10, December 1947; No. 17, September 1952.
H.V McKay and Massey-Ferguson Employment Records held at the University of Melbourne Archives, Accession No. 95/122.

 

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