Globe-trotter on luxury cruise

Bruce Mackenzie 95 years young and out to see the world.

Jonathon Howard

BORED and unable to work daily on his cattle property at the age of 95, Killarney resident, Bruce Mackenzie, decided it was again time to travel the world in April this year with a third trip to India.
On a luxury Seadream cruise starting from Singapore with only 65 passengers and 100 crew, Mr Mackenzie sailed across the beautiful navy blue Indian Ocean for an adventure through Thailand, Malaysia, the Andaman Islands, Sri Lanka and India, finishing in Mumbai.
Mr Mackenzie enjoyed his days at sea reading, snoozing and swimming in the pool before heading from ports to see the countryside by taxi and tuk tuk.
“India is crowded, colourful but crumbling,” Bruce said.
“There are still people sleeping in the streets and under trees.”
In Mumbai, with a population of 22 million equal to that of Australia, Mr Mackenzie toured the slums, temples, gardens and markets, the famous Dhobi Ghat public laundry, museums and fine colonial buildings.
“I was treated like royalty at the Prince of Wales Museum,” he said, noting that his visit coincided with the Duke of Cambridge’s tour of Australia.
Mr Mackenzie has had a lifelong interest in aircraft and travel since flying with Sir Charles Kingsford Smith in Sydney as a boy, visiting New Zealand in the 1930s and during active service in New Guinea in World War II.
Bruce’s first visit to India was in 1962 with his brother, the late Dr Bill Mackenzie who was lecturing in oral surgery.
Since then, Mr Mackenzie has seen many world icons.
With his late wife, Bruce travelled extensively through the USA and Europe and he has enjoyed many trips to see his family in China, the Middle East and Canada as well as diverse sites from Baghdad to Sweden, Fiji to Portugal, Rio de Janeiro in 2003, the Greek Acropolis and Egyptian Pyramids in 2008 and Moscow’s Red Square in 2011.
Mr Mackenzie has had a long career with his late brother Ferrier in beef cattle grazing, business, retailing, cinema and property management.
Asked if he was going overseas again, Bruce Mackenzie remarked “it is a lot of effort for me and for others, but I have to keep up to date.”
Mr Mackenzie again advocates that we should ‘count our blessings’.