Christie was born in Invercargill, New Zealand, on 13 July 1894, the eldest son of Andrew Christie, who farmed in Southland, New Zealand, and Lillian Laura, née Kenrick, daughter of Harry Kenrick, Stipendiary Magistrate. His primary education was at Kaikorai School, Dunedin, then in 1908 at Otago Boys' High School, and from 1909 to 1912 at Waitaki Boys' High School, Oamaru. He obtained the Sargood Entrance Bursary (Literary) to Otago University where he read mental science for his BSc and gained the James Clarke Prize in that subject and the Stewart Prize and Beverley Scholarship in physics. After graduating MB ChB in 1920 he became house surgeon in Dunedin Hospital and then demonstrator in anatomy at Otago Medical School, under Professor Percy Growland. He moved to London in 1923 and worked first at the Hampstead General Hospital and the London Lock Hospital, St Pancras. During this time he took the MRCP, LRCP before moving to the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in 1924. He then worked as a clinical assistant in orthopaedics at Guy's and in urology at St Peter's before taking his FRCS. He remembered particularly the influence of George E Waugh, H A T Fairbank, W H Trethowan, Clifford Morson and Sir Heneage Ogilvie from those days. On returning to New Zealand in 1926 he married Dr Mollie Fisher, who qualified in radiology and they established a joint practice in Wanganui. In 1929 he was appointed surgeon to Wanganui Hospital, and established an orthopaedic department there. In the same year he was awarded the MCh (UNZ) in general and orthopaedic surgery, a degree rarely taken at that time. He was an enterprising surgeon in several fields, sometimes ahead of his times. He was a foundation member of the New Zealand Orthopaedic Association. He was a keen territorial officer, and soon after the outbreak of the second world war went to the Middle East as orthopaedic surgeon to No 1 New Zealand General Hospital. In Greece and Crete he was detached to work in the mobile surgical unit and later rejoined No 1 NZGH in Helwan as OC Surgical Division and then commanding officer in Egypt and Italy. He was awarded the ED and CBE for his military services. After the war he returned to Wanganui, and resumed surgical practice. He was greatly respected both for his formidable academic knowledge and his infinite patience, absolute integrity and kindness. He continued to introduce innovations, including an attempt to establish a bone bank in the early 1950s. He retired from the hospital staff in 1961. His interests outside surgery included photography, music (he played the clarinet), flying (he flew his own aeroplane, and was frustrated to be grounded at the age of 76 for cardiac reasons when he had just started a course of aerobatics) and motor-cycles. He had a whimsical sense of humour and it may not have been unfitting that this gifted man, alert and active in his 86th year, should die on 23 April 1981 after a collision on his motor-bike when blinded by the setting sun. He left a wife, Dr Mollie Christie, OBE, and four children, one a son who is a surgeon (FRCS) and another a daughter (FFARCS) practising in Canada.