But her trip to Gallipoli in 1990 stands out above the rest.
Working for the Australian War Memorial as an education officer following a career in teaching, she made the trip to Anzac Cove with a number of diggers - all in their 90s - to be part of the 75th anniversary service.
Nothing could have prepared her for that day.
“Standing with those people at dawn and being a part of the service was an incredible thing,” Kathryn said.
“But what I remember most is after the service. We walked along the beach with a few of the soldiers.
“While we were walking, one of them found where his best friend was buried. It's as emotional a moment as you will have.”
It's a collection of moments in a career that has been rewarded in the Australia Day's honours list, with Kathryn awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in the general division for her services to tourism in regional Victoria.
“It's overwhelming,” Kathryn said.
“You don't do things like this for honours, you do them because you love them and have a passion for them, so to receive something like this leaves me a bit speechless.”
Born in Kyabram and raised in Cohuna, Ms Mackenzie originally worked as a teacher in the Wimmera Mallee before taking time off to write a book, which led to her gaining the position at the War Memorial.
It was while in Canberra her love for the industry began.
“I'd never really thought much about tourism,” Kathryn said.
“But while I was in Canberra I really started to get to know the industry, and made the decision to change careers. I went back to university and studied my Masters, majoring in tourism, then got the opportunity to go to Bendigo and work.”
Her time in Bendigo coincided with it becoming a destination city for tourism in Victoria.
After a more than 20-year stint working in Bendigo, the opportunity came to take the position as chief executive of Echuca Moama Tourism in 2017.
“I always loved being in Echuca when I was younger,” Kathryn said.
“And I always felt like I was going to end up back here. It felt to me like I was coming home when I took the opportunity.
“To come back to the region I grew up in, to be around the river, I've fallen in love with it all over again, and it's something very special to me.”
Now, Kathryn is working to grow the region into the destination she believes it could be.
“We have something so special here,” she said.
“There are so many beautiful places in the region, so much to explore and to be a part of, and I love the way the industry in our town is growing.
“All the work the operators are doing to grow the community, the way the people who live here have embraced our town, we can only continue to grow as a tourist destination.
“I believe in Echuca-Moama, I really do, and I think as time goes, it will grow even more and become one of the greatest tourist attractions in the country.
“My hope with what I am doing now is that I can play a role in building the blocks we use to grow it in the future.”
MORE LOCAL NEWS
Teen charged over fatal crash at Mathoura
Walker appointed EMUs coach
Dalton and Maxwell write to government on border closures
11°C