Description
Being over 1,400 miles away from its closest major city (Adelaide) and having made trips equivalent to the distance from Los Angeles to New York to attend the temple in Sydney, the Perth Australia Temple is a blessing indeed. Property adjacent to the stake center for the Perth Australia Dianella Stake in Yokine (a suburb about 6 miles north of Perth) was acquired for construction of the temple. The temple serves 6,865 members from four stakes and the Australia Perth Mission.
History
Announcement
The plans for the Perth Australia Temple’s construction were announced on June 11, 1999.
“Australia is emerging as a very significant place for the Church. The new temples will assist our many new members to unite their families eternally and cement their faith in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ,”[1]“News of the Church,” Ensign, Aug. 2001, 71 said Peter Meurs, president of the Perth Australia Warwick Stake.
Groundbreaking
Elder Kenneth Johnson, first counselor in the Australia/New Zealand Area Presidency, presided over the groundbreaking of the Perth Australia Temple. During his remarks, Elder Johnson noted that temples have only been constructed when the Lord has instructed His 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.
Governor Jeffrey wrote, “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. 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.”
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.”[2]Church News, 4 Dec. 1999.
Open House
As the approximately 37,000 visitors toured the during the open house, they soon realized that Jesus Christ is central to the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. President Hinckley commented that people tour the temples with reverence and respect. Visitors often marvel at the beauty of the temples. “But among many things, they are most impressed with pictures of the Savior they see in these holy houses. They will no longer regard us as a non-Christian people.” [3]Gordon B. Hinckley, “Welcome to Conference,” Ensign, Nov. 1999, 4
Dedication
President Hinckley dedicated the Perth Australia Temple on 20 May 2001.
Nearly 2,800 members of the Church attended the dedication, including Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. In the dedicatory prayer, President Hinckley said, “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.”1
He continued the prayer by dedicating the grounds and the structure of the temple and then expressing gratitude: “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.” President Hinckley ended the prayer by blessing the Church and those who would serve in the temple. [4]”‘We thank Thee for this land of Australia,'” Church News, 26 May 2001, 25 Jun. 2005
Dedication Order
The Perth Australia Temple is the 106th operating temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is the fourth temple built in Australia, following the Sydney Australia Temple (1984), Adelaide Australia Temple (2000), and Melbourne Australia Temple (2000).
Presidents and Matrons
Details
Location
Located in the suburb of Yokine, the Perth Australia Temple rests on 2.76 acres of beautiful land full of plants and trees and shares the site with a meetinghouse, where weekly Church services are held.
Exterior
The Perth Australia Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is magnificent to behold with a single spire stretching toward the heavens. A statue of the angel Moroni, a feature on most Mormon temples throughout the world, stands atop the spire. Like all Mormon temples, the Perth Australia Temple is constructed using the finest materials. Its exterior is made of Olympic white granite, and tall glass windows adorn the sides. The temple incorporates a contemporary design with a circle motif carved in the granite above the windows and along the bottom tier of the spire.
Interior
The Perth Australia Temple is one of many temples designed with a smaller floor plan of 10,700 square feet. The plan to construct smaller temples was announced in April 1998 by Gordon B. Hinckley, who served as the president of the Church from 1995 to 2008, in an effort to bring more temples to members of the Church in remote areas. The Perth Australia Temple closely resembles the design of other small temples throughout the world, including those in Adelaide and Melbourne, Australia.