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First woman minister ordained on Skye

The Rev David Kellas described the move as a "significant development"
The Rev David Kellas described the move as a "significant development"

It is a far cry from her previous career.

A former game reserve worker from South Africa has made history by becoming the first woman to be ordained as a Church of Scotland minister on Skye.

Janet Easton-Berry will take up the post covering Bracadale and Duirinish, on the north and west of the island, which has been vacant for the last 18 months.

The Rev David Kellas, Moderator of the Presbytery of Lochcarron and Skye, described the move as a “significant development” for the Church.

Ms Easton-Berry, who worked among elephants, lions and rhinos on several game reserves in the Kwazulu-Natal Province as a safari rest camp supervisor, said it was an “incredible experience” that helped shape her world view.

The 53-year-old added that her years as a social worker, which included a period in the field of child protection in inner-city London, had also provided her with invaluable experience that would help her in her new role as a Kirk minister.

“I have a great love of God and people and I am very excited to have my first charge at Bracadale and Duirinish,” she said.

“I am inspired by faith and very much looking forward to getting to know and serve the community.

“Being a minister is the best job in the world because it is such a privilege to walk alongside people and hear their stories.

“I would encourage anyone who feels called to ministry to follow their calling because it is the best journey ever.

“I have worked in different fields but skills are transferrable so I carry what I have learned with me which will help me in my ministry.”

Durban-born Ms Easton-Berry, who studied at Highland Theological College in Dingwall on a part-time basis while working as a community social worker on Mull, said growing up in South Africa during the apartheid era stirred her passion for justice.

She originally moved to the UK in 2000 to work as a social worker in London, before becoming a probationer minister at Stockethill Church in Aberdeen for 15 months, until last year.

Mr Kellas said: “The Rev Janet Easton-Berry is the first woman to be inducted as a minister in the Presbytery which is a significant development.”