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While some families enjoy a UWA tradition, with generations following each other here, there are not many who can claim the Mackenzie brothers' feat.

All four members of one generation are UWA students at the same time.

Campbell (25), Eric (24), Hugh (22) and Patrick (19) are all studying in different disciplines but it is the first time they have been together at the same institution since primary school.

"Because we're spread out over six years, we weren't all at high school together," said Pat, who is in his third year of a combined Law/Economics degree. His oldest brother Campbell is two years into a PhD in Chemistry; Hugh is studying Medicine and is currently at the Rural Medical School in Albany; while Eric has just returned to part-time study in the School of Sport Science, Exercise and Health.

They are a close family and describe each other as ‘good friends' but say they Campus keeps siblings in contact rarely felt competitive while they were growing up as they were always doing different things.

The brothers are all academically talented as well as great sportsmen. The closest they came to playing sport together was when their local hockey club, Suburban Nedlands, went on a trip to Malaysia. The three older boys all played in the one team, while Pat (still at primary school) was mascot and water boy.

"That's the story of Paddy's life," said Hugh, acknowledged as the gag man. Pat, being the youngest, has always been the butt of the jokes.

When they were at Hollywood Primary School, they often rode their bikes around the Crawley campus and say they always assumed they would come to UWA. They took piano and violin lessons as youngsters but sport tended to dominate their lives, with a permanent cricket pitch in their Nedlands back yard.

Hugh is the musician and still plays the guitar; Pat dabbled in drama at school; and Eric took his passion for football even further. He is now a key defender for the West Coast Eagles.

The brothers warmly support Eric, going to as many Eagles home games as they can. "We all went to Melbourne for the final against Geelong last year," Campbell said. But, like most brothers, they delight in dragging Eric back down to earth - literally as well as figuratively.

They are all well-travelled, both with their parents and individually, and they can't see a future where they will all be living in one place. Even while they are all at UWA, the photo shoot on campus was the first time all four had been together since Christmas.

With Hugh in Albany, Eric living in Doubleview and Pat going on exchange to Maastricht University in the Netherlands in second semester, only Campbell will be living in the family home, close to campus.

But UWA keeps them connected.

Published in UWA News , 30 April 2012