Geelong psychologist Chris Mackey farewelled by hundreds at Cattery
A renowned Geelong psychologist was remembered by family and friends in a ceremony full of touching stories and moving music.
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Hundreds of mourners packed the President’s Room at Kardinia Park on Friday to farewell renowned psychologist Chris Mackey in a moving service of music and memories.
Hundreds more watched via the online stream, joining family, friends and colleagues paying tribute after Mr Mackey’s death in a car crash in December.
With the home-ground of his beloved Cats the backdrop, Mr Mackey’s loved ones entered the room as Blackbird by The Beatles played.
Roxie Bennett, who was conducting proceedings, wore a shirt adorned with the word “love”.
“I did think maybe I should have had a black jacket, you know, very sombre, not quite my jam,” Ms Bennett said.
“Then I opened up my wardrobe and I saw this T-shirt.
“I was just like ‘that’s what I’m going to wear, because that’s what Chris was all about’.”
Ms Bennett then introduced Mr Mackey’s wife, Sue, who shared stories from the pair’s 40-plus years together.
“He was genuinely interested in others, and he was an impeccable listener and problem solver,” Ms Mackey said.
“Over the past few weeks, so many people have shared with our family how Chris showed up for them in his life, in their lives.”
Ms Mackey said her husband was on the way to see friends when he died.
“On the 14th of December, Chris was driving to Anglesea to meet his beloved trio of long-term psych buddies,” she said
“It was to be a weekend of bush walking, latte drinking and good, deep conversation.
“Tragically, Chris didn’t show up to meet his psych buddies.”
Ms Mackey shared a moving anecdote about a trip to Antarctica, which included an intimate performance by famed singer-songwriter Paul Kelly.
“Nearly 20 years ago, Paul Kelly release a song called Meet Me in the Middle of the Air – Chris mentioned that he would like to have it as one of his funeral songs,” Ms Mackey said.
“The concert (in Antarctica) was held in a tiny chapel on a hillside surrounded by penguins and seals with snow falling outside.
“(Paul Kelly) sang Chris’ favourite song, Meet Me in the Middle of the Air, it was a magical moment for us.”
The song would play later in the service, accompanied by a collection of photos of Mr Mackey.
The pair’s three children, Rowan, Ellie and Joanna, then each took turns to speak.
Mr Mackey’s son drew inspiration from “the mumbling poet” Eddie Vedder’s words from the Pearl Jam song Man of the Hour, which was also played during the service.
“Dad was the man of the hour,” he said.
“I’m so blessed to have had the opportunity to get to know him as a dad, but also as a best mate.”
Daughter Joanna spoke of the “Mackey star”.
“The sky always had significance in my relationship with dad,” she said.
“When I was young, and we experienced a lot of loss on the Mackey side of the family, I remember dad pointing out the brightest star in the sky … it’s called the Mackey star.
“He told me that when the Mackey's passed, they went to that star.
“I believe that dad is up there right now in the Mackey star, and will forever be shining down on us.
In an emotional speech, Ellie said: “I love you, I miss you, and I’m so proud of the legacy you have left.”
Lifelong friend Ian Shimmin said Mr Mackey’s “ legacy lives on through his family”.
“Psychology buddy” Rod Carne, “camping and golf buddies” David Waterhouse and Kevin Murphy, and Michael Cave and Neil Orford from Mr Mackey’s movie club, also spoke about the impact he had on their lives.
Time In a Bottle by Jim Croce played before prerecorded messages were shown from people who knew Mr Mackey.
Then a video of Mr Mackey himself played.
“Self compassion is about being kind and forgiving to ourselves, it’s about allowing ourselves to be human,” Mr Mackey said from the screen.
“How can we be more self compassionate? The main thing is to pick up those self-critical thoughts and ask ourselves, would we judge a friend by a similar standard? Why should we be more harsh on ourselves?
“It’s about being kind and forgiving to ourselves, allowing ourselves to be human.”
Attendees were asked to remain seated while thank you's played on the screen, scored by David Bowie’s Jean Genie.
Mr Mackey’s extensive career spanned more than 45 years, and included publishing his book The Positive Psychology of Synchronicity and receiving the Australian Allied Health Impact Award in 2019.
He was also a regular Geelong Advertiser columnist and was the resident psychologist on wellbeing program Destination Happiness with Angie Hilton.
DR BRENDAN MEAGHER – MENTOR’S LOSS HARD TO TAKE
There has been an outpouring of grief and tributes from psychologists around Australia in the wake of the tragic death of Chris Mackey.
Australia has lost one of its most influential psychologists.
Chris was a Geelong local who was also a national leader in psychology.
A man of immense standing in the Australian psychology community whose contribution has been profound.
Chris was a Fellow of the Australian Psychological Society and the driving force behind Chris Mackey and Associates, a private practice here in Geelong with a hard earned and well-deserved national reputation for innovation and excellence.
President of the Australian Psychological Society, Dr. Sara Quinn said: “Certain individuals leave a profound and lasting impact on those around them, extending far beyond their immediate circle, and Chris Mackey was one such remarkable person.”
In recent years, I had the very great fortune of getting to know Chris.
Chris was a mentor to me.
He was always so encouraging and his encouragement inspired a burning desire to improve. My first published book, The Tech-Savvy Psychologist, was written on a wave of Chris Mackey encouragement.
Chris stood for the very highest of standards and you could be sure that if your idea had Chris’ approval, then it had merit.
I would think about what Chris would think? But I could ask.
Now I’ll have to guess what Chris would think, and I don’t want to get used to that.
Chris was a regular attendee at a wide range of Australian and international psychology conferences, both as a speaker and as a participant.
This created a vast network of connections and an astonishing depth and breadth of knowledge.
Chris had a magical combination of an insatiable enthusiasm for psychology, and an immense interest in the world and its people, combined with an amazing work ethic sustained for over four decades.
That magical combination of qualities created a ripple effect in our profession.
To engage with Chris was to be immersed in ideas.
What’s the next great idea that can improve the mental health of the Australian people?
To improve the mental health and wellbeing of his beloved Geelong community and beyond was Chris’ driving force.
It was hard not to be swept up by it.
A driving force that created a life lived meaningfully.
A lasting legacy of raising mental health awareness and increasing awareness of the important work of psychologists.
A legacy that will inspire future generations of psychologists.
The highly influential psychiatrist Carl Jung, when reflecting on his career, wrote: “Without a doubt that lifework could have been larger, and could have been done better; but more was not within my power.”
I can only imagine the satisfaction Jung must have felt when writing that.
The career of Chris Mackey was the embodiment of that quote.
The Geelong community and us psychologists have benefited so much from our connection with Chris.
Grief is the price we all now pay for our connection with Chris.
Grief is the potential price we pay for all meaningful connections.
It is a price very much worth paying, even though today it really hurts.
We are social creatures and when all is said and done, nothing much matters except family, friends and our social connections.
My thoughts are with all Chris’ social connections and particularly his wife Sue and their children Rowan, Joanna, and Ellie.
Dr Brendan Meagher is the founder and principal clinical psychologist at Mind Health Care, a private psychology practice in Geelong.
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Originally published as Geelong psychologist Chris Mackey farewelled by hundreds at Cattery
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