Professionals - Gullick family

William Applegate Gullick... by Government Printing Office
Photograph GPO1-26557

William Applegate Gullick (1858-1922) and his family epitomised those who settled in the upper North Shore at the turn of the 20th century. A prominent public servant, Gullick was New South Wales Government Printer and Inspector of Stamps from 1896 to 1922. He lived with his wife Mary and five children at Altoncourt, Killara, as well as a number of other houses in the area.

A 1925 description of Killara reads: 'this suburb may justly claim to be both attractive and select. There are many substantial residences, the homes of the well-to-do citizen; and altogether the dwellings are of a superior class'. (Wilson’s Authentic Directory. Sydney and Suburbs, Sydney: Wilson & Co., 1925, ML 981.1/W)

Gullick had a passionate interest in heraldry and designed the New South Wales coat of arms in 1906. He was also a keen amateur photographer and was one of the first people in Australia to experiment with autochrome plates, an early colour photography process. In 1909, his expertise in the area was acknowledged when he was invited by Sydney University's Science Society to give a lecture on colour photography.

The Library has a striking series of his autochrome colour plates depicting his family life at their home in Killara.