For Week 10 of Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, I chose to write about my grand uncle, my maternal grandfather’s brother.
Hector Meredith McKenzie, or “Hec” as he was known, was born in 1907 to Robert McKenzie and Eliza Jane Clements of “Spring Valley”, Woodford, Victoria, Australia.
I don’t remember much about him as he died when I was young but there are a few things I can recall.
He lived with his sister, Adeline Hope McKenzie, who also never married, in the house they were born in. They used to bicker alot and when I look back on them, if I didn’t know better I’d have thought they were married. LOL.
He used to go to Warrnambool to play bowls, possibly croquet or bocce ball. I’m not quite sure if it was either of these, but I remember there was a box of colored balls that he owned under the bedside table.
He used to go to “his secret men meetings”, as his sister Hope used to call them. I presume this to be the Freemasons Masonic Lodge.
But the one thing that I remember most, was when I used to stay at their house during the school holidays. We used to play card games, pick fruit from the trees in their yard and he let me play with my food.
One night we had meat and vegetables for dinner. Aunt Hope was sitting at the head of the table and uncle Hec and I were sitting next to each other at the long side of the table. My aunt Hope was a lovely lady and we also had some fun times but she didn’t appreciate playing at the dinner table.
My uncle leaned over towards my plate and said something like “this is probably going to get us in trouble”. He proceeded to show me how to pile up my mashed potatoes into a volcano shape and hide all my green peas within the sides of the “volcano”. He then poured tomato sauce, or what we call Ketchup in the U.S., all over the top so it looked like lava flowing out of the volcano.
My aunt was extremely mad at him over this, and if I remember right, I don’t think we got dessert that night. Fun times!
I have located Hector in all Australian Electoral Rolls right up to the year before he died (1931 thru 1980). His occupation is always listed as a Farmer.
He died 17 September 1981 and is buried in the Warrnambool Cemetery, Row 9, Grave 047, Presbyterian section.
