Jamie Mackie spent his very early years in Sri Lanka prior to his family's return to Australia during the Great Depression. He was a student at Tennyson State School and Geelong Grammar School before enlisting for service during World War II. Mackie's war experiences led to his long interest in Asia.
After World War II, Mackie studied at the University of Melbourne and graduated with first class honours in history and philosophy. He then attended Oxford University where he gained a Bachelor of Arts degree, again with first class honours.
Mackie was the founding head of the Department of Indonesian Studies at the University of Melbourne and the founding research director in the Centre of South-East Asian Studies at Monash University. He was also founding professor in the Department of Political Change and Social Research, School of Pacific and Asian Studies at the Australian National University.
Source: David Jenkins, 'War Hero Became Entranced by Asia', Sydney Morning Herald (17 May 2011): 16.
