 He was born at Carey Gully, South Australia, the fourth son of Henry and Anne Stacey.He worked as a miner at Moonta and Wallaroo and in Western Australia, managed his father's orchard for a time, and became involved in the timber industry, owning the Lenswood Case and Timber Mills, which supplied timber to the mines and for fruit cases.He was involved in the local community at Uraidla, serving on the local show and school committees, but later retired from the timber business and moved to suburban Maylands.