“Young boys come up to me and ask to have their photo taken with me,” she says with a laugh.

That’s because Lyn is a Lego Master, competing with her grandson Matt, 17, on the Nine Network’s latest television reality competition, Lego Masters, which has become a runaway hit since it premiered in Australia at the end of April. The show is a family-friendly competition that pits eight teams of Lego die-hards against each other in epic building challenges. It has made an impressive splash for Nine, with consecutive episodes reaching the coveted million viewers.

Matt and Lyn, contestants on Lego Masters. Channel Nine

But while being on the show has been a rewarding experience for Lyn, she tells Eternity that her 50 years as a child health nurse and developing a Christian ministry supporting pastors’ wives are the greatest “professional” achievements in her life.

“Though, obviously the Lego competition was huge fun!”

Lyn and her husband Geoff pastored a church in the late 1970s in Logan, just outside Brisbane, before they were asked by the Queensland Baptists to travel to Papua New Guinea to help train local pastors there. Even then, Lego was part of Lyn’s family.

“We set off with our three very small children in tow and we took some Lego with us, as a transition tool to give them something fun to do in our new home.”

Lyn and Geoff spent four years in Papua New Guinea, where Lyn home-schooled her children (and continued building Lego with them, too). Returning to Australia, Lyn continued her career as a child health nurse, where she also used Lego to encourage fine motor skills and creativity.

Lego builds on Lego Masters can get frantic, with a Lego Room housing 2.5 million bricks on offer. Channel Nine

At home, Lyn’s family built on her Lego love. In fact, it was she who first introduced her grandson Matt to Lego – offering it to him as a reward for potty training as a toddler.

Lyn’s relationship with Matt – and their mutual love of Lego – has now been nationally televised as the duo competed on Lego Masters.

For Lyn, the show was an opportunity to spend quality time with her grandson. When she heard about the show, she immediately thought Matt should enter. She certainly hadn’t expected that he would ask her to join him as his teammate.

Lyn captured the hearts of audiences around the country in early episodes. As the oldest participant, teamed up with the youngest (Matt is just 17), she told the cameras: ““My biggest worry is that I don’t let Matt down … I’m not sure that I’m meant to be here.”

For Matt, Lyn – whom he calls “Mamma” – was the perfect creative person to accompany him in doing “the best thing he’s ever done”, as he said during their last episode on Tuesday night when they were, sadly, eliminated just a week before the finale.

“We were just thrilled to be there! And to spend that time together. I think it has cemented our relationship. We have a nice, close relationship.”

Lyn says she is proud to have been on a show that is such a breath of fresh air. Some reviews suggest its family-friendly charm and success may mark “the end of trashy TV“.

“Everyone I meet is saying how good it is to have a show that is for everyone. It’s just nice to be part of that.

“I can’t see why God wouldn’t love Lego. It’s something that helps us express our creativity. And He is the creative one! I think he would smile.”