Born in Lismore, New South Wales, Australia, Sackley was a member of the Northern New Guinea 5th Commando Squadron of the Australian Defence Force during the Second World War.

Shortly thereafter, the Sackleys decided that they would visit Canada in order to be sealed in an LDS Church temple.

(The closest temple at the time was in Hawaii, but due to restricted US entry they chose to move to Alberta, Canada.

In order to pay for their trip the Sackleys sold all they owned in Australia, they embarked on a steamer leaving everything behind, acting on faith in their goal to seal their family together.

Schooling and other employment opportunities moved the Sackley family to Logan and Provo in Utah as well as Edmonton, Alberta.

Sackley died in Surfers Paradise, near Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, while he was serving as a counselor in the presidency of Pacific Area, which was headquartered in Sydney.