Personal history a centrepiece of Geraldine and Keith Mackenzie’s Toowoomba home

Personal history is a centrepiece in this home in Toowoomba.

Geraldine and Keith Mackenzie at their home just south of Toowoomba. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

Ancestry has become a passion for many over recent years as technological advancements make the process of tracking ­lineage easier. The process was a welcome distraction through the COVID-19 lockdowns for University of Southern Queensland vice-chancellor Geraldine Mackenzie.

Now finished, the decade-long project hangs on the wall in the family room of the Toowoomba home she shares with husband Keith.

The wall of photographs and little descriptions tracks back several generations on each side of the family. A photograph of Keith’s Scottish grandfather, Murdoch Mackenzie, wearing a traditional kilt, is the very same one the now retired pilot was wearing when he met his future wife at a dance.

Some 30 years later, the coloured photographs of the couple’s children and grandchildren hang below their wedding picture and are at the centre of the collage.

The photo wall tracks back several generations on each side of the family. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

“We hesitated whether it (the photo wall) might look a bit much, but then we thought it represents us,” Geraldine says. “I’m really proud of my background in the Darling Downs and my grandfather who was a pioneer schoolteacher. So, I’ve got the education link going back, which is really nice.”

The couple moved from Brisbane to their modern home on two acres in a quiet suburb south of Toowoomba three years ago. Spacious with a large living and entertaining area, they gave the home a refresh after buying it, but kept certain elements that belonged to the family of seven who owned it previously, including the cubby house and pet cat, Bella.

“You can come home and forget about work. You do need somewhere like this to switch off,” Geraldine says.

The Mackenzies have half a dozen chickens in the back yard who have proved their worth during lockdown. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

The university sector was one of the first to be significantly ­affected by international border closures in March. The closures stemmed the flow of international students. The vice-chancellor handled much of the pandemic fallout from her study, but noted the University of Southern Queensland was able to fare much better than its metropolitan counterparts due to its long-term focus on local enrolments and online, remote study.

“Before COVID, you’d say our low reliance on international students wasn’t a good thing. Now you’d say that is what has really helped us weather it,” Geraldine says.

In her spare time, Geraldine loves to spend time in her kitchen. She has spent 25 years as chief steward at the Brookfield Show, an annual event in Brisbane’s western suburbs celebrating regional and metro agriculture, which has fostered a love of fresh produce.

The couple have their own vegetable garden and fruit trees, which need to be protected from the half dozen chickens that ­meander around the back yard.

Much of the art that hangs around the home was purchased at charity auctions or fairs. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

But the chooks have proved their worth during the lockdown, offering plenty of eggs with golden yolks and a speedy distraction for their two-year-old grandson.

More than 350 cookbooks can be found in bookshelves and in boxes, inspiring for a variety of cakes, jams, preserves and Asian dishes — the couple’s favourite cuisine.

A majority of the art that hangs around the home was purchased at charity auctions or fairs, which explains the painting of four sheep that hangs in the television room.

The Mackenzies were mindful of having entertaining spaces, given the number of family and work functions they hosted before the pandemic.

The large island bench in the kitchen was a must, positioned within the open-plan living and dining space.

The tinkling of keys of Geraldine’s sleek, black baby grand piano can be heard through the living area.

The downstairs granny flat is a hit when friends and family come to visit and was used extensively during the initial wave of the coronavirus.