William (Bill) James Lawton was born in 1934 in Sydney. A graduate of Moore College, the University of London and the Australian College of Theology, Bill also completed an MA at the University of Sydney and PhD from UNSW in 1985. From 1976-1989 he was Dean of Students and later Chapel Master at Moore College, while lecturing in History and Liturgy, Koine Greek and Ministry in an Australian Context. Bill served as Rector of Mulewa-Yalgoo in WA from 1967-1969, and from 1989-1999 was Rector of the Parish of East Sydney. This parish included the churches of St John’s, Darlinghurst, and St Peter’s, Woolloomooloo, which was deconsecrated in 1993 and sold to SCEGGS. Bill was also Chaplain to SCEGGS Darlinghurst and Elizabeth Lodge Retirement Village, Kings Cross. Bill was a member of many committees of the Australian General Synod and Diocese of Sydney Synod, includingthe Inner City Committee and the Liturgical Commission. From 2001-2007 he was the National Chaplain to Mission Australia. Bill is the author of many articles and publications including The Better time to Be: Utopian Attitudes to Society among Sydney Anglicans, 1885-1914(UNSW Press, 1990) and Shaping a Prayer Book for Australia (Prayer Book Society, 2010), and delivered the Annual Moore College Lectures in 1986: Being Christian, Being Australian.