Ronald Maurice Pullin was born on 10 March 1919 at Paddington, New South Wales to Charles Samuel and Agnes Hilda Pullin. He grew up with his family at Hurstville, New South Wales, and later worked as a mechanic. Pullin joined the Ford Motor Company of Malaysia as an inspector in production in 1939.

While working in Malaysia, Pullin enlisted in the Federated Malay States Volunteer Force. He served as a sergeant in the Bomb Disposal Section of the Singapore Royal Engineers Volunteers. However, he was captured by the Japanese as a prisoner of war on 15 February 1942 alongside other members of the Allied forces in Singapore. Pullin was interned at camps in Singapore and Thailand, and worked on the Burma-Thai Railway. After the war, he returned to Australia briefly. However, he travelled back to Singapore in 1946 to resume his work with the Ford Motor Company of Malaysia, this time in the purchasing section.

In 1951, Pullin transferred to the Ford Motor Company plant in Sydney, and worked in the parts and accessories section. He married Merle Catherine at Sydney in February 1954, and they lived in Hurstville. By 1968, they were living in Cronulla. Ronald Maurice Pullin died on 6 May 1995, at the age of 76, and was buried at Woronora Memorial Park, Sutherland, New South Wales.