Graham Mackie
MACKIE, Graham Lawrence, BSc(Tech) MIEAust LGE (1939-2019)
Graham was born in Kogarah, New South Wales, on February 3, 1939. He was the son of lineman George Mackie and his wife Molly Estelle Mackie (nee Graham).
In 1944, Graham commenced his primary education at Kiama Central School. In 1950, he was co-dux of the Primary School. He undertook his Intermediate at Kiama Central School in 1953. He then completed his secondary education at the newly opened Kiama High School.
Graham enrolled in Science at the University of New South Wales and graduated with a Bachelor of Science (Technology) in 1964.
In 1955, Graham had commenced work with the Kiama Municipal Government and successively worked with local governments at Paramatta, Randwick and Hornsby. By 1970 he was working with the Shellharbour Municipal Council.
In 1973, he and his family moved to Western Australia to be the WA Manager for D J Dwyer and Associates and was also appointed a Director of the national firm.
Graham established the office in Perth, having been encouraged to do so by the offer of sub-divisional work from Hooker-Rex. In 1977 a breakthrough came in that his team were awarded the design and management of the new Woodman Point Wastewater Treatment Plant.
In 1979 Gutteridge Haskins and Davey (GHD) formed a partnership with D J Dwyer. He then became a Director of the partnership GHD Dwyer (WA) Pty Ltd and a Principal of GHD.
Through his dynamic and extraverted nature Graham was able to build a civil based business and take a significant share of the sub-division market, which strongly reflected Perth's desire to expand quickly. Graham led this business and diversified by adding in a Survey and Town Planning capability.
He continued on as a GHD Principal through to his retirement.
Graham became a Student Member of the Institution of Engineers Australia (IEAust) in 1962, a Graduate Member in 1964 and by 1979 was made a Member. Graham was also certified as a Local Government Engineer in New South Wales.
Graham married Robyn Frances Barr in 1963 at Ryde, New South Wales. They had a son, Scott David Mackie and two daughters, Fiona Jane Mackie and Megan Louise Mackie.
Graham has a strong interest in local history and in 1988 was the publisher of his mother’s book My kind of town : a reminiscence of changes in the town of Kiama over the fifty year period 1937-1999.
In 2011, he published his own book The chronology of Kiama 1770-2011 : from banks to bass to blue metal, butter, bathing & broadband. In 2014 he released Blowhole Point: my kind of Icon. In 2017 he released Kiama and District: the original histories.
Graham died on March 3, 2019, at Bicton, aged 80 years.
References:
Margaret A Sacks (Editor), The Way 79 Who is Who, Crawley Publishers, 1980.
Stan Arneil, A Firm Foundation, GHD, Sydney, 1988.
Kiama Independent, 20.12.1950, p. 2.
Illawarra Daily Mercury, 26.1.1954, p. 9.
Illawarra Mercury, 16.12.2014.
Ian Shepherd email.
