Announced: June 11, 1999.
Location: 163-173 Wordsworth Ave., Yokine, W.A. 6080, Australia; phone: (61) 89 276-0000; no clothing rental.
Site: 2.76 acres with meetinghouse.
Exterior finish: Olympic White Granite.
Temple design: Classic modern.
Architects: Christou Cassella & JEC.
Contractor: Doric Building PTY LTD.
Rooms: Celestial room, two ordinances rooms, two sealing rooms, baptistry.
Total floor area: 10,700 square feet.
Dimensions: 149 feet by 77 feet.
District: Four Perth stakes.
Groundbreaking, site dedication: Nov. 20, 1999, by Elder Kenneth Johnson of the Seventy and first counselor in the Australia/New Zealand Area Presidency.
Dedication: May 20, 2001, by President Gordon B. Hinckley; 4 sessions.
Dedicatory Prayer
Done by President Gordon B. Hinckley
Almighty Father, Thou great God of the universe, in reverence and with love we come unto Thee in solemn prayer in the name of Thy Beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
On this day of dedication our hearts rejoice in the great and marvelous blessings Thou hast given us. Through the Prophet Joseph Smith Thou hast revealed in this dispensation "things which have been kept hid from before the foundation of the world, things that pertain to the dispensation of the fulness of times" (D&C 124:41).
Thou hast made us partakers of Thy divine love that we may reap wondrous blessings in our own behalf and also in behalf of those who have gone before us.
Thou hast commanded us to build sacred temples wherein these holy ordinances may be administered. In obedience to that command, we present to Thee this day another house of the Lord and dedicate it to Thy holy purposes.
Acting in the authority of the Holy Priesthood which is Thine and which Thou hast given unto us, and in the sacred name of our Redeemer, even Jesus Christ, we dedicate and consecrate this the Perth Australia Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints unto Thee and unto Thy Son.
Wilt Thou accept it as the offering of our hands and our hearts. From this day forth may Thy watch care be over it.
We dedicate the ground on which it stands with the trees, shrubs, flowers, and grass that grow thereon. We dedicate the structure from the footings to the figure of Moroni. We dedicate all of the interior facilities including the Baptistry, the areas for the administration of ordinances, the endowment rooms, the beautiful celestial room, the sealing rooms with their sacred altars, and all of the offices, halls, and other spaces within this Thy holy house. May all parts thereof work harmoniously together. May it be a fitting abode for Thee, and may Thy Holy Spirit dwell here at all times.
Let Thy protecting power be felt in its behalf, that it may be preserved from the storms of nature and the evil hand of the vandal and destroyer. May it be holy to all who pass this way. May they recognize it as a place of sacred worship and look upon it with reverence and respect. May all who enter its portals be worthy to do so. May there be no civil disturbance or anything of the kind that might lead to a violation of the sanctity of this sacred house.
May all who enter these portals be uplifted by that which occurs here. May the covenants which they take upon themselves bind them to Thee, and may they never violate nor transgress their sacred promises unto Thee. May they delight to come, and may this house be busy with the work of Thy kingdom.
We thank Thee for this land of Australia where this and other temples have been built. We thank Thee for the freedom of worship which obtains here. May this great nation always remain a place of individual liberty, that men and women may approach Thee within these walls without threat or disturbance of any kind.
We ask Thee, Holy Father, as the Prophet Joseph asked in Kirtland, "that thy servants may go forth from this house armed with thy power, and that thy name may be upon them, and thy glory be round about them, and thine angels have charge over them;
"And from this place they may bear exceedingly great and glorious tidings, in truth, unto the ends of the earth, that they may know that this is thy work, and that thou hast put forth thy hand, to fulfil that which thou hast spoken by the mouths of the prophets, concerning the last days" (D&C 109:22-23).
May Thy Saints in this great temple district make and keep themselves worthy to come to Thy house. When they pay their tithes and offerings as an expression of obedience to Thy will, open the windows of heaven and shower down blessings upon them. Reward their faith. Prosper them in their affairs. May the boys and the girls, the young men and the young women, come here with rejoicing to be baptized in behalf of those who have passed beyond. May this service bring great joy into their hearts, and build within them a desire to partake of the other ordinances which will be available to them as they grow older.
Now Father, bless all who shall administer the affairs of this house, the temple presidency, the matron and the assistants to the matron, and all of those who serve as workers in Thy house. May their service never be a burden, but rather may it be a source of great satisfaction and happiness.
Bless Thy Church and kingdom throughout the earth. Bless all who serve therein wherever they may be. May joy and gladness fill their hearts as they move Thy great work forward in the earth. We pray for the temple presidents everywhere, for the mission presidents, for the missionaries, for stake presidents and bishops, for the General Authorities, and for all who teach and minister in any way. May their hearts be filled with love for Thy great cause and kingdom.
On this sacred and solemn day our hearts turn to Thee and to Thy Beloved Son with affection and thanksgiving. May this day be a day of renewal when we rededicate ourselves to Thy work and the advancement of Thy cause. Forgive our sins that we may stand clean before Thee. We ask it all humbly and gratefully, with glory to Thy holy name, in the name of Thy Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, amen.
Temple in a far corner received with gratitude
By Alan Wakeley And Richard Hunter
PERTH, Australia — Somewhere in the Indian Ocean, between Perth and Johannesburg, lies a point that is the furthest geographic distance from Church headquarters in Utah.
Both of these cities are the first landfall, in their respective directions, to that point on the Indian Ocean. And now, with the dedication of the Perth Australia Temple, both cities have temples, marking a significant landmark: Today sacred edifices circle the globe.
The Perth Australia Temple, the 106th to operate internationally and the fourth in Australia, was dedicated Sunday, May 20, by President Gordon B. Hinckley in four separate sessions attended by 2,773 Church members.
Servicing the 12,000 members who live in Western Australia, the new temple is located on the site of the Perth Australia Dianella Stake Center.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve, who participated in the dedication with President Hinckley, called the events in Perth a major milestone in the history of the Church. "With the dedication of this temple on the other side of the earth from Salt Lake City, we are seeing fulfilled the oft-stated prophecy of Church leaders over centuries that temples would eventually circle the globe," he said. "This is a significant event in the on-rolling destiny of the Church and in the progress of the kingdom of God on earth. There is wonderful symbolism and imagery in today's temple dedication for which all of us can be truly grateful."
In spite of traveling the lengthy distance from Salt Lake City direct to Perth with only two overnight rests, President Hinckley was full of characteristic vigor and humor. From the moment the Perth saints began to file into the temple and nearby chapel in the early morning, and as President Hinckley spoke his first few words at the opening session, a powerfully manifest spirit was evident which endured throughout the day.
Even the forecast rain, after months of dry weather, could not dampen the spirits of those who witnessed the special events of the day. Indicating that the heavens were watching over the proceedings, the rain held from falling until President Hinckley completed the cornerstone ceremony outside the temple and returned inside for the remainder of the first dedicatory service.
Area president, Elder Kenneth Johnson, said that all who attended the sessions felt tender. "You could see in President Hinckley the tenderness," said Elder Johnson. "When the choir sang, to watch the congregation, it was very difficult. I had difficulty singing just to see the people facing me who were struggling to sing. It was one of those very memorable experiences. You read of them in Church history and in the scriptures, but I think this morning we repeated something of a very special nature."
Perth was settled by the British in May 1829. Named after a town in Scotland, Perth was the first British colony in Australia that comprised only free settlers. The early settlers in a number of other Australian cities were convicts. Over the years, the state of Western Australia, with Perth as its capital, has thrived through the discovery of minerals and other natural resources, gold being one of the most notable.
The first recorded Church official to visit Western Australia was assistant Church historian, Andrew Jensen, in the early 1890s. Jensen ultimately reported to the Church that, "because of the gold-rush fever that had gripped the population, it was not a good time to send missionaries to the West."
The first missionaries finally began their work in Western Australia in 1907. By 1913 the Subiaco Branch in a suburb of Perth had 26 members. In 1925 the first chapel was built to accommodate these early Latter-day Saints.
Among those who joined the Church during this early period was Lillian Macmillan who was in the celestial room during the first Perth temple dedicatory session. Sister Macmillan, who was congratulated and welcomed by President Hinckley at the beginning of the session, was baptized in January 1932 at 17 years of age, along with other members of her family.
"I've been waiting for 70 years for this to happen," said Sister Macmillan after the session. "I'm so happy that we now have a building such as this at our doorstep."
A period of growth and expansion followed in the 1950s when Western Australia shared in the accelerated national migration program. Newcomers, from all countries of the world, joined the Church. Antonio and Rosa Grinceri, who came from Italy to Australia as children with their respective parents, joined the Church 19 years into their marriage. They are parents of three boys and three girls. One of these is Elder John Grinceri who now serves as an Area Authority Seventy for the Church.
The 1960s and 1970s saw membership swell to 2,000 with small branches being organized in the sparsely vegetated country areas of the state. Into the 21st century, with four stakes and more than 10,000 members, the saints of Western Australia have come a great distance. Yet, their remoteness from other parts of Australia and Church headquarters in Utah continued to bring its own set of challenges. The announcement two years ago of the building of the Perth temple has resolved the most significant of those challenges.
The Western Australian members may well have been in President Hinckley's mind when he spoke at the November 1997 General Conference of new smaller temples being built to service "many areas of the Church that are remote, where the membership is small" to "make the blessings received therein more generally available."
For the saints in Perth, a visit to the nearest temple in Sydney took great sacrifice. As far as Los Angeles is from New York, the trip required days of driving or expensive air travel and the taking of vacation time to be able to participate in the sacred ceremonies of the House of the Lord. Before the Sydney temple was dedicated in 1984, the Saints traveled to Hamilton, New Zealand — an even greater sacrifice.
Now, with four operating temples — in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth — and a fifth presently being constructed in Brisbane, the 104,000 Australian saints may still need to forgo certain luxuries to visit their nearest temple. However, for those located in the state capital cities, the days of struggle and monetary discipline to do so have nearly come to an end.
A sense of brotherhood at Perth groundbreaking
PERTH, Australia — A temple groundbreaking here recently gave religious, civic and political leaders an opportunity to express their respect for the members, initiatives and values of the Church.
Community leaders joined more than 700 Church members Nov. 20 for the groundbreaking for the Perth Australia Temple in this remote capital city. The temple, the farthest temple from Salt Lake City, will be constructed adjacent to the Dianella Australia Stake center.
Elder Kenneth Johnson, first counselor in the Australia/New Zealand Area Presidency, presided over the groundbreaking and joined with other leaders in offering expressions of gratitude and admiration for the Church in Perth.
Those in attendance were uplifted by talks from pioneer members and Church leaders before Elder Johnson offered the closing remarks and the site dedicatory prayer. The Perth multi-stake young adult choir provided the music.
During his remarks, Elder Johnson noted that President Gordon B. Hinckley plans to dedicate an estimated 42 temples next year. Temples, said Elder Johnson, have only been constructed when the Lord has instructed the prophets to do so; "man cannot assume that opportunity, God has to assign it."
Elder Johnson also quoted from letters of congratulations received from Major Michael Jeffrey, governor of Western Australia, and Richard Court, premier of Western Australia.
"I have no doubt that the temple will contribute to the growth and stability of the Church here. But more importantly it will contribute to the growth and stability of members and their families," Elder Johnson read from Gov. Jeffrey's letter. "This is the most significant step forward since the Church was established in Western Australia 103 years ago and I congratulate you all on reaching this important and exciting milestone."
Premier Court was equally positive. "The significant growth of the membership of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout the world is accompanied by the growing respect and influence for good in the Western Australian community," he wrote.
"Now at the end of the 20th Century an important extension of the work and witness of the Church is about to be built in Perth."
Other community leaders also shared expressions of congratulations for the future temple.
In recognition of the temple, the leader of the Perth Russian Orthodox Community, the Rev. Wally Mowtschan, presented the Church with a gift of frankincense, symbolizing one of the gifts given to Jesus by the wise men.
Elder Johnson said that the enthusiasm for the new temple — from members as well as from civic, political and religious leaders in the community — was evident at the groundbreaking.
At the conclusion of the service, all three Perth stake presidents, along with community leaders, pioneer members, youth and children were invited to turn the soil with gold-painted shovels.
Rockingham Australia Stake president, Adrian S. Palm, said, "It was thrilling to see so many friends of the Church participate in the groundbreaking service.
"I was overwhelmed with a real sense of brotherhood. The influence of the temple is already touching lives."
