Bullen, Michael Anthony

“Mike was born on the 29th August 1963 in the Muttaburra hospital. He was a second son for Bill & Olive Bullen, and a brother for Lennie.

Mike attended school in Muttaburra until he was 15 and then due to the difficulties with his health spent most of his next few years home with his mother as well as enjoying regular visits to his Granddad. His father got a job working for the Council and he then became Dad’s right hand man often going to work with him.

Bill became a caretaker at Tijuana from 1986–88 for the Grahams and Mike spent a lot of time out there with him riding horses and motorbikes, mustering, fencing and helping out with most other things involved with property life.

Mike rode a motorbike around Muttaburra until he got his little white Corolla which he drove until he developed problems with his eyesight. At the time it was a bit of a challenge working out that Mike did have a problem with his eyes as he would not tell anyone that he could not see. He put the fear of God into a few of us that came across him on the roads by nearly skittling us or us nearly skittling him!! It was a relief to all of us when he had his eyes operated on and his sight improved.

Mike would often mow the lawn for his Dad, telling him he was giving it “a short back & sides”, and then would promptly go crook at his father for putting the sprinkler on so the “damn grass would grow again”!!!!

One time he tried to help out when the mower would not go by filling the petrol tank up with linseed oil, red gravel, a couple of pencils and some chook feed, cause he figured the petrol was not getting to the points and this would help make it go!

When he was a young fella Mike was a bit of a fire bug – Tommy Dickson caught him and his partner in crime Chris Smith (Chickenman) down the back smoking one day and thought he would teach them a lesson. He gave them a smoke each; making them do the draw back thinking this would fix the problem and cure them for good. Didn’t work – Chickenman still smokes and Mike smoked right to the end.

These two mischievous boys also set a pillow on fire one day while Olive was at work – luckily one of the neighbours spotted smoke billowing from the house and saved the day!

Mike would often borrow smokes from Shirley Dickson and told her he would “pay her back when he grew up and got a job!”

Mike enjoyed the footy and loved to participate in the local footy tips comp, nearly taking out top honours as he sat in 1st position on the ladder for a short time, but eventually coming in at a not too shabby third place in last years comp. He loved a good ribbing and gave as good as he got.

Most of us would remember Mike as we have seen him in the last few years riding around town on his gopher, calling in at the PO to collect the mail, seeing who could tell the biggest yarns and giving cheek to JB at his shop, dropping into the store to collect the groceries and most importantly of all – his smokes, and last but not least making his daily visits to the pub where he would sit and yarn to anyone who dropped in while enjoying a snack with a Diet Coke or Lift.

Mike did not have an easy life, his health his greatest challenge, but he made the most of it as best he could. He was a remarkable young fellow, with a wry sense of humour which could catch you out when you least expected it.

Mike was loved by his family and friends, and the streets of Muttaburra won’t seem the same without him!”

– Eulogy
read at funeral by Doug Langdon