William Fredrick Lionel Walters will begin serving in November as the new president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Sydney Australia Temple, succeeding President Peter R. Barr. President Walters’ wife, Marianne Botting Walters, will serve as temple matron, succeeding Genivive Barr.
Serving with President and Sister Walters will be Joseph Saikaly as first counsellor in the temple presidency, and his wife Denise as assistant matron, with Arthur Sheen as second counsellor with his wife Judy as the other Assistant Matron.
President and Sister Walters have served in other assignments in the Sydney Australia Temple for the past four years.
Born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to William Fredrick Walters and Laura Phyllis Ivy Bowers, President Walters has served in a number of leadership positions for the Church including president of the Singapore Mission, stake president, bishop, and national public affairs director.
An educator by profession, President Walters was area director of the Church Educational System for the Pacific region for several years before retirement.
Sister Walters has worked alongside her husband in many leadership positions over the years and also served as a stake Relief Society president and stake public affairs director, among other church roles.
She was born in Noordgouwe, Zeeland, Netherlands, to Cornelis Nicolaas Botting and Anna Catharina Wondergem.
“It is humbling,” President Walters says, “to be trusted to continue on to serve in the temple. It is a singular privilege to receive the call to preside and to serve alongside temple workers who have powerful testimonies of the abiding and eternal principles of the gospel found in the temple.”
Sister Walters added, “To have members focus on the eternal nature of the ordinances and to live their lives so that the fulfilment of those blessings will come, is something that means a great deal to us.”
See an infographic about Latter-day Saints temples.