Robert E. Sackley
Encyclopedia
Robert Edward Sackley was an educational administrator in Canada
and was a general authority
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1989 until his death. Sackley was the first native Australian
to serve as a general authority of the LDS Church.
, New South Wales
, Australia
, Sackley was a member of the Northern New Guinea 5th Commando Squadron
of the Australian Defence Force
during the Second World War. On 25 December 1944, Sackley was severely wounded in a Japanese
ambush in New Guinea
. He was rescued by native New Guinean tribesmen and carried for six days to an American encampment. Sackley was transferred to Greenslopes hospital in Brisbane, Queensland, where it was discovered that he had also contracted malaria
.
, and Sackley became interested in the LDS Church. He was baptized
into the LDS Church on 16 June 1946. Sackley and Orth were married on 26 March 1947. The Sackleys became the parents of five children.
. (The closest temple at the time was in Hawaii
, but the Sackleys could not afford a boat ticket there. There were also temples in the continental United States, but the Sackleys had difficulty obtaining visa
s.) The Sackleys went to Alberta
and were sealed in the Cardston Alberta Temple
.
After their sealing, the Sackleys decided to settle in Cardston
. Sackley worked as an accountant for a grocery company and as a business administrator for Cardston's school district.
Schooling and other employment opportunities moved the Sackley family to Logan and Provo, Utah and Edmonton, Alberta. From Edmonton, Sackley was offered a position as the vice president of administration of Medicine Hat College
in Medicine Hat, Alberta
. Sackley accepted the position and in 1973 became the president of the college. During this time, Sackley was also a bishop of the LDS Church in Medicine Hat.
of the Philippines
Quezon City
Mission
of the church. Immediately following his three year term, in 1982, Sackley was asked to become the administrative assistant to the president
of the Salt Lake Temple
in Salt Lake City, Utah
. In 1983, Sackley and his wife became the directors of the visitor's center at the Washington, D.C. Temple in Kensington, Maryland
. In 1985, the Sackleys were church missionaries
to the newly-constructed Sydney Australia Temple
. In 1986, Sackley was again asked to be a mission president
, this time for the Nigeria
Lagos
Mission of the church.
On 2 April 1988, Sackley became a member of the church's First Quorum of the Seventy. One year later, he was transferred to the newly-created Second Quorum of the Seventy. Sackley was the first native Australian
to become a general authority of the LDS Church. As a general authority
, he served in the presidency of a number of areas
of the church and was managing director of the church's Missionary Department. Sackley died in Surfers Paradise
, near Brisbane
, Queensland, Australia, while he was serving as a counselor in the Pacific Area of the church, which was headquartered in Sydney.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and was a general authority
General authority
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a general authority is a member of certain leadership organizations who are given administrative and ecclesiastical authority over the church...
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1989 until his death. Sackley was the first native Australian
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
to serve as a general authority of the LDS Church.
Second World War
Born in LismoreLismore, New South Wales
Lismore is a subtropical town in northeastern New South Wales, Australia. Lismore is the main population centre in the City of Lismore local government area. Lismore is a regional centre in the Northern Rivers region of the State.-History:...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Sackley was a member of the Northern New Guinea 5th Commando Squadron
Australian commandos
The name commando has been applied to a variety of Australian special forces and light infantry units that have been formed since 1941–42. The first Australian "commando" units were formed during the Second World War, where they mainly performed reconnaissance and long-range patrol roles during...
of the Australian Defence Force
Australian Defence Force
The Australian Defence Force is the military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy , Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force and a number of 'tri-service' units...
during the Second World War. On 25 December 1944, Sackley was severely wounded in a Japanese
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
ambush in New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
. He was rescued by native New Guinean tribesmen and carried for six days to an American encampment. Sackley was transferred to Greenslopes hospital in Brisbane, Queensland, where it was discovered that he had also contracted malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
.
Conversion, marriage and family
While recovering in the hospital, Sackley became friends with Marjorie Orth, a Latter-day Saint who was visiting a friend. Orth invited Sackley to attend her church servicesWorship services of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
In Mormonism, worship services include weekly services, held on Sundays , in neighborhood based religious units...
, and Sackley became interested in the LDS Church. He was baptized
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
into the LDS Church on 16 June 1946. Sackley and Orth were married on 26 March 1947. The Sackleys became the parents of five children.
Emigration to Canada
Shortly thereafter, the Sackleys decided that they would visit Canada in order to be sealed in an LDS Church templeTemple (LDS Church)
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord, and they are considered by Church members to be the most sacred structures on earth. Upon completion, temples are usually open to the public for a short period of time...
. (The closest temple at the time was in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, but the Sackleys could not afford a boat ticket there. There were also temples in the continental United States, but the Sackleys had difficulty obtaining visa
Visa (document)
A visa is a document showing that a person is authorized to enter the territory for which it was issued, subject to permission of an immigration official at the time of actual entry. The authorization may be a document, but more commonly it is a stamp endorsed in the applicant's passport...
s.) The Sackleys went to Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
and were sealed in the Cardston Alberta Temple
Cardston Alberta Temple
The Cardston Alberta Temple is the eighth constructed and sixth operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Located in Cardston, Alberta, it is the oldest LDS temple outside the United States. It is one of eight temples that do not have an angel Moroni statue, and one of...
.
After their sealing, the Sackleys decided to settle in Cardston
Cardston, Alberta
-Demographics:The population of the Town of Cardston according to its 2007 municipal census is 3,578.In 2006, it had a population of 3,452 living in 1,234 dwellings, a 0.7% decrease from 2001...
. Sackley worked as an accountant for a grocery company and as a business administrator for Cardston's school district.
Schooling and other employment opportunities moved the Sackley family to Logan and Provo, Utah and Edmonton, Alberta. From Edmonton, Sackley was offered a position as the vice president of administration of Medicine Hat College
Medicine Hat College
Medicine Hat College is a public, board governed, comprehensive community college serving a large region of southeastern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan, Canada....
in Medicine Hat, Alberta
Medicine Hat, Alberta
Medicine Hat, known to locals as "The Hat", is a city of 61,097 people located in the southeastern part of the province of Alberta, Canada. It is enclaved within Cypress County along with the nearby Town of Redcliff, although neither is part of the county....
. Sackley accepted the position and in 1973 became the president of the college. During this time, Sackley was also a bishop of the LDS Church in Medicine Hat.
Full-time church service
In 1979, Sackley resigned as president of the college to become the first presidentMission president
Mission president is a priesthood leadership position in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . A mission president presides over a mission and the missionaries serving in the mission...
of the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
Quezon City
Quezon City
Quezon City is the former capital and the most populous city in the Philippines. Located on the island of Luzon, Quezon City is one of the cities and municipalities that make up Metro Manila, the National Capital Region. The city was named after Manuel L...
Mission
Mission (LDS Church)
A mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a geographical administrative area to which church missionaries are assigned. Almost all areas of the world are within the boundaries of an LDS Church mission, whether or not Mormon missionaries live or proselytize in the area...
of the church. Immediately following his three year term, in 1982, Sackley was asked to become the administrative assistant to the president
Temple President
Temple president is a priesthood leadership position in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A temple president's primary responsibility is to supervise the affairs of an LDS temple in both an administrative and spiritual capacity....
of the Salt Lake Temple
Salt Lake Temple
The Salt Lake Temple is the largest and best-known of more than 130 temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is the sixth temple built by the church, requiring 40 years to complete, and the fourth operating temple built since the Mormon exodus from Nauvoo,...
in Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
. In 1983, Sackley and his wife became the directors of the visitor's center at the Washington, D.C. Temple in Kensington, Maryland
Kensington, Maryland
Kensington is a town in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,873 at the 2000 census. Greater Kensington encompasses the entire 20895 zip code and its population is an order of magnitude larger than that of the town at its center....
. In 1985, the Sackleys were church missionaries
Mormon missionary
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
to the newly-constructed Sydney Australia Temple
Sydney Australia Temple
The Sydney Australia Temple is the 30th constructed and 28th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.-Construction and dedication:...
. In 1986, Sackley was again asked to be a mission president
Mission president
Mission president is a priesthood leadership position in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . A mission president presides over a mission and the missionaries serving in the mission...
, this time for the Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
Lagos
Lagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
Mission of the church.
On 2 April 1988, Sackley became a member of the church's First Quorum of the Seventy. One year later, he was transferred to the newly-created Second Quorum of the Seventy. Sackley was the first native Australian
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
to become a general authority of the LDS Church. As a general authority
General authority
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a general authority is a member of certain leadership organizations who are given administrative and ecclesiastical authority over the church...
, he served in the presidency of a number of areas
Area (LDS Church)
An area is an administrative unit of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which typically is composed of multiple stakes and missions...
of the church and was managing director of the church's Missionary Department. Sackley died in Surfers Paradise
Surfers Paradise, Queensland
Surfers Paradise is a suburb on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 Census, Surfers Paradise had a population of 18,501....
, near Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Queensland, Australia, while he was serving as a counselor in the Pacific Area of the church, which was headquartered in Sydney.