WHEN Joshua Keyes-Liley received his Bachelor of Arts this week, he was the fourth generation of his family to receive a degree from The University of Queensland.
Joshua's UQ connections actually go back six generations, as his great-great-great-grandfather Frederick Thomas Brentnall was a member of the Queensland Legislative Council in 1910 when the University was established, and often spoke on education issues in the House.
Joshua's great-great-grandmother Flora Harris - FT Brentnall's daughter - was a patron and founder of The Women's College.
Josh's parents, grandmothers and one set of great-grandparents all gained UQ degrees.
His father, Bill Liley, a doctor at Cairns Base Hospital, has three UQ awards: a Bachelor of Physiotherapy (1983), a Diploma of Education Studies - Counselling (2004) and a Bachelor of Medicine/ Bachelor of Surgery (2008).
Dr Liley's mother Margaret Liley (née Price) received her UQ Bachelor of Science in 1957, a Diploma of Education in 1978 and a Bachelor of Education Studies in 1985.
Josh's mother Mary Keyes, a Professor of Law at Griffith University, has two UQ degrees: Arts (1988) and Law (1993).
Professor Keyes' mother Lynette Keyes (née Denmead) gained her BA from UQ in 1959, and then went on to gain a Diploma of Education in 1960 and a Bachelor of Education in 1963.
Mrs Keyes' parents - Josh's great-grandparents - Noela Denmead (née Brentnall) and Alan Knox Denmead both had UQ Science degrees, specialising in Geology.
Josh Keyes-Liley, 20, said there had been no family pressure for him to attend UQ, but it was a good choice.
"It wasn't a given - I just chose UQ," he said.
"It's been enjoyable and stimulating. It's been something I've really enjoyed and that I found challenging and interesting.
"In a Bachelor of Arts you don't have to worry about anything other than the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake."
Josh did an extended major in Philosophy and a minor in the logic and philosophy of science, and will now go straight on to an Honours year at UQ.
His parents and grandmothers were at UQ yesterday to watch him graduate in a ceremony at the UQ Centre.
In the Great Court beforehand, Margaret Liley recalled that she began her UQ studies at George St in the city, and then became part of the first UQ cohort to study Physics in the Richards Building, one of the sandstone structures that makes up the Great Court.
His other grandmother, Lynette Keyes, is the daughter of the late Alan Denmead, who gained his BSc (Geology) from UQ in the late 1920s and his MSc (Geology) in the early 1930s. He started work in 1927 with the Queensland Government's Geological Survey and worked in locations around Queensland over the next 40 years.
AK Denmead was Chief Government Geologist from 1956 until his retirement in 1967.
The Geological Society of Australia (Queensland Division) has run an annual AK Denmead Lecture since 1991, in recognition of his work that is widely acknowledged to have laid the foundations of Queensland's export coal industry.
Mrs Keyes said that when her parents were young newlyweds, her father was sent to work at Cracow in central Queensland, during "the last Queensland gold rush".
Her mother Noela worked as his assistant in the field, but - in the midst of the Depression - the Government said it could not afford to pay her due to the tight financial conditions.
"Given that she also had a Geology degree, the Government got a very good deal - two for the price of one!" Mrs Keyes said.
Media: Fiona Cameron, UQ Communications, ph 07 3346 7086
