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Malcolm James MacKenzie Family Malcolm (Mac) MacKenzie was born on December 25, 1932, in Calgary and lived on the family farm, NW Sec 32 Twp 25 Rge 3 W5M. He was the second son of Norman MacKenzie (1894-1977) and Louise (Bennet) MacKenzie (1908-1999). They had a family of four sons and one daughter.
Malcolm attended Glendale School, a one-room country classroom located one mile north of IA highway. He took grade 10 at the red brick Cochrane School, travelling by bicycle with his brothers Angus and Alex.
Also accompanying them were two former students of Glendale School, Jens and Ken Jensen. Malcolm did not return to Cochrane School for grade 11 . The school principal, Walter K. Gish, asked Angus why his brother didn’t return to school as he was a straight “A” student in all subjects?” Angus replied, “He just wanted to be a cowboy.”
Malcolm had worked the summer holidays helping with the haying at the Cartwright “D” Ranch, S.W. of High River and decided to stay in the Longview/ High River area the following year.
During the summer at the Cartwright Ranch in 1946, Malcolm met Jack Preddy, a fellow ranch worker, who taught him how to paint on canvas with oil paints. At summer’s end, Jack drove Malcolm home to Cochrane in his car so that he could return to school. During the autumn and winter months 1946, Malcolm painted the design on Gordon Dingwall ‘s Chuckwagon Canvas for the Calgary Stampede. Mac also taught his brother Angus how to paint with oil colours.
In the spring of 1951 , Jim Cartwright and Malcolm helped with Alan Baker’s first branding at the Bar U Ranch. In 1953-1955, Malcolm worked for Lloyd Wambeke on Lloyd’s Uncle George’s farm, bacheloring together. During those years the young men played hockey on the frozen farm sloughs or ponds during winter Sundays, and played baseball during the summer Sundays. Teams were formed at East Longview, High River and Turner Valley.
Malcolm worked for Bert Sheppard at the TL Ranch on the south fork of Sullivan Creek in 1956 -1957, then at the OH Ranch, west of Longview 1958-1960.
From 1961 to 1968 Malcolm worked for Brewsters at Banff for the summer trail horseback rides with co wrangler Ron Warner. In the fall they both worked for Bob Machum, of Priddis, hunting and guiding for big game hunters. In the winter Malcolm worked for J.B. (Jim) Cross trucking polo ponies from Okotoks, Alberta to Santa Barbara, California. He tended to them at the polo field and drove them back home to Okotoks in the spring.
While working for Jim Cross in California, Malcolm met Franco Vianello, an artist and sculptor from Santa Barbara. Franco was impressed with Malcolm’s clay and wax models. He cast some of them in bronze for Mac and also taught him the art of casting in the Lost Wax Process.
In 1969, Malcolm formed a company with Ron Warner, renting Bill Martin Stables. They called the company Warner & MacKenzie Guiding and Outfitting Ltd. In 1969, Warner and MacKenzie Ltd. bought the Sundance Stables in Banff and in 1976, they bought out
Brewster’s Stables as Brewster’s were now focusing on the Brewster Bus Tours and Columbia Glaciers Tours.
In 1967, Warner and MacKenzie had bought the George Webb farm on the comer of Weedon Trail and Highway 22. Malcolm spent time in 1969 – 1970 converting George Webb’s wooden quonset building from a school bus garage to an art studio and bronze casting foundry.
In 1974, Warner and MacKenzie bought the Martin Stables. Bill Martin retired from Banff and he and his wife bought an acreage on Glenview Road South of 1 A highway, between Glendale Road and Glenbow Road.
On May 28, 1971, Malcolm married Judy (Harries) MacKenzie. They have one son Casey MacKenzie, born January 17, 1972, and one daughter Annie, born March 14, 1976. Annie married Ron Kelly, March 14, 1994 and they have two daughters, Tayla and Isabel, and one son Kael. The Kellys live on the west quarter of the farm, just north of the former MacKenzie log home. Casey has been living in Australia for the last several years.
During the 1970s when the summer trail rides and hunting and guiding out of Banff were over for the year, Mac spent more time with his family at their farm off Weedon Trail, north of Cochrane. He began focusing more on his bronze art casting.
Malcolm MacKenzie’s first exhibition and sale of bronze sculptures was held at Gainsborough Galleries in Calgary in June I 972. A second exhibition and sale of bronze sculptures was held at Gainsborough Galleries in 1979.
In 1981 , Malcolm left Banff and devoted more of his time to his artistic talents and the family farm plus his many friends. Bill Kewley helped Mac in his bronze studio.
On June 6, 1982 Malcolm’s Log Gallery opened with a show and sale at the old George Webb home quarter. Also in 1982 he started to build a log home on the west quarter of his farm and in 1989 Mac, Judy and family moved into their new log home.
In 1978, Mac was selected from over 30 Alberta sculptors and commissioned by the Alberta Government to create a 1 1/3 life-size sculpture of an old-time cowboy on horseback, to be located on the bluff overlooking the original 1881 Cochrane Ranche site headquarters. The bronze statue was cast in Surrey, England, south of London, from the original three-foot-tall wax casting. The finished bronze statue was flown back to Canada by air cargo jetliner in three parts, and then bronze welded together at the Cochrane site.
Malcolm went to England to supervise the casting. He took his wife and family and his mother Louise with him
Malcolm (Mac) MacKenzie was a well-respected and valuable member of the Cochrane community and was instrumental in supporting the Dream of the Western Heritage Centre. Malcolm passed away on June 22, 2002.
