Greg Mackie

Greg Mackie

OAM
Occupation(s)CEO, History Trust of South Australia
Years active1984–present
Known forFounder, Adelaide Festival of Ideas; Imprints Booksellers

Gregory Alan Mackie OAM is a South Australian cultural advocate and entrepreneur who has worked to promote the arts and culture in Australia. He served two separate terms as an elected Councillor on the Adelaide City Council. He was managing director of independent bookshop Imprints Booksellers from 1984 to 2007, and founded the Adelaide Festival of Ideas in 1999.

He has served on many public bodies, including Arts SA, and Adelaide Writers' Week. As of March 2024 he is CEO of the History Trust of South Australia, after being appointed to the position in 2016.

Early life and education

Gregory Alan Mackie[1] is the son of Graham Miller, who, with his wife Gayle Miller and her friend Patricia Sykes, first opened the literary book retailer Imprints Booksellers at 80 Hindley Street, Adelaide, in 1984.[2]

Before going to university, Mackie's working life started in 1979, when he worked as a buyer for Myer SA Stores until 1982. He moved on from this position to become a manager of Semprini's (newsagent) in Unley for a year.[3][4]

Mackie studied at Flinders University, graduating with a BA degree in 1987.[5] While a student, he worked for his father at Imprints Booksellers on weekends, and six months later, bought into the business.[2]

Career

From 1984 until 2003 Mackie was director and co-proprietor (with Gayle Miller[2]), of Imprints.[6] In 1986 he co-established the Art Zone Gallery, and was coordinator of the gallery until 2000.[3] Imprints moved to no. 107 Hindley Street in 1999, around the time that many arts organisations were moving into the vicinity, including Adelaide Festival offices above the shop.[2] During the 1990s, Mackie founded the West End Association (to boost the profile of the changing "West End" of the city.[4] Mackie and Miller sold the shop in 2007 to Jason Lake and Katherine Woehlert, who had been working there for some time.[2]

He was executive director of Arts SA[6] from 2004.[7][8][9] Working with the Premier of South Australia, Mike Rann, and the Minister for Disability, Jay Weatherill, Mackie established the Richard Llewellyn Arts and Disability Trust Fund in 2006.[10]

From 2008 until 2011 he was deputy chief executive of the Department of Premier and Cabinet during the Rann government.[11] During this time Mackie chaired the State Emergency Management Committee. His responsibilities included Arts SA, the Capital City Committee Directorate, the Adelaide Thinkers in Residence Program, the Integrated Design Commission SA,[6] and The Australian Centre for Social Innovation (TACSI).[12]

From 2008 to 2013, he served as chair of the South Australian Premier's Communications Advisory Group, the state's watchdog on tax-payer funded advertising.[7][3]

In 2012, Mackie was appointed head of the Office for the Ageing, under SA Health, as well as becoming an interim director at the Adelaide Botanic Garden.[6] He left SA Health in 2013 and established his own consultancy practice.[7]

In March 2016 Mackie was appointed CEO of the History Trust of South Australia (formerly History SA), with effect from the end of April 2016. The organisation is responsible for the Migration Museum, National Motor Museum, and Maritime Museum. It also runs the annual History Festival and various other community programs.[11] He is still in the position As of March 2024.[6]

City of Adelaide council roles

Mackie was elected to the Adelaide City Council in May 2000 and served until 2003.[4]

In May 2020 Mackie was once again elected to the City of Adelaide council, this time as a result of a by-election.[13] Sandy Verschoor was mayor at this time.[4] He resigned in June 2022, citing the "corrosive nature" and "relentless domination of the Team Adelaide faction".[14]

Other activities

Mackie has also been a member of several boards and panels. During his years of running Imprints, Mackie also served in many board and other advocacy roles in the community and cultural benefit sectors, including serving as a board member for the FEAST Adelaide Lesbian and Gay Cultural Festival[15] from 1996 to 1999.[3]

He served for a decade with the Adelaide Writers' Week advisory committee, including four years as its chair (1994–98), and in 1999 he founded the Adelaide Festival of Ideas,[16][17] of which he remains director as of 2024.[6]

He served on the board of the Don Dunstan Foundation,[18] and later as one of its patrons.[19]

He was as a Trustee of the Adelaide Festival Centre Trust from 2000 to 2003, and a member of the Libraries Board of South Australia in 2002 and 2003.[3][7]

He has also served on the Council of the University of South Australia,[7] and was on the advisory board of the Dame Roma Mitchell Trust Fund for Children and Young People[9] between 2000 and 2004.[3]

Mackie has been a member of the external advisory panel to the Assemblage Centre for Creative Arts at Flinders University, headed by Garry Stewart,[20] along with Jo Dyer, Wesley Enoch, Rebecca Summerton, and others.[21]

Honours and awards

References

  1. ^ a b "Award Extract - Australian Honours Search Facility". Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e Case, Jo (15 March 2024). "It's the end of an era for Imprints – and hopefully the start of a new chapter". InReview. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Résumé: Greg Mackie OAM" (PDF).
  4. ^ a b c d Noble, Kelly (13 May 2020). "Greg Mackie Elected To Adelaide City Council". Glam Adelaide. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Alumni Awards - Previous Recipients". Flinders University. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  6. ^ a b c d e f "Strategic Leadership Group: Greg Mackie OAM Chief Executive Officer". History Trust of South Australia. 11 January 2023. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d e f "About". Greg Mackie OAM. 21 June 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  8. ^ Adelaide Festival Centre (18 September 2006). Adelaide Festival Centre Annual Report 2005-06 (PDF) (Report).
  9. ^ a b "Industry leaders to help transform media education". The University of Adelaide. 29 March 2006. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  10. ^ "Cabinet note to the Premier for Cabinet, Re: Richard Llewellyn arts appointments and Disability Trust Fund Board". 11 December 2006.
  11. ^ a b McDonald, Patrick (11 March 2016). "Former arts chief Greg Mackie to head History SA". AdelaideNow. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  12. ^ "Greg Mackie". Impact100 SA. 28 April 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  13. ^ Marsh, Walter (15 May 2020). "Mackie's Town Hall comeback". The Adelaide Review. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  14. ^ Skujins, Angela (14 June 2022). "'There is no civility': Prominent city councillor resigns". CityMag. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  15. ^ "Home Cook: Greg Mackie, CEO History SA". InDaily. 21 April 2016. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  16. ^ Kapetopoulos, Fotis. A Bookseller Invites Adelaide to Ponder the Big Questions, 12 July 2018.
  17. ^ Greg Mackie, The Advertiser,9 July 2018.
  18. ^ "The Don Dunstan Foundation: Governance". Archived from the original on 26 July 2007. Retrieved 27 May 2007.
  19. ^ "Patrons". Don Dunstan Foundation. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  20. ^ "Assemblage Centre for Creative Arts". Flinders University. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  21. ^ "Assemblage Centre for Creative Arts - External Advisory Panel". Flinders University. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  22. ^ "Past Award Recipients". Creative Partnerships Australia. 27 February 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  23. ^ "The Bettison & James Award". Adelaide Film Festival. 8 June 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2020.

Further reading

  • Finding the Next Wave: Innovation and its Discontents University of Adelaide Cultural Oration 2017, by Greg Mackie (delivered 13 July 2017)

External links

  • Official website
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