Church of Scotland ordains first female minister on Skye
- Published
A former game reserve worker from South Africa has become the first woman to be ordained as a Church of Scotland minister on Skye.
Janet Easton-Berry, 53, will lead congregations in Bracadale and Duirinish.
Her career in the past has included working among elephants, lions and rhinos on several game reserves in Kwazulu-Natal Province.
She was also a social worker on Mull and a probationer minister in Aberdeen.
Ms Easton-Berry originally moved to the UK in 2000 to work as a social worker in London.
She studied theology part-time at the University of the Highlands and Islands' Highland Theological College in Dingwall while working as a community social worker on Mull.
Ms Easton-Berry was working as a probationer minister in Aberdeen until last year. The role on Skye is her first full-time position with the Church of Scotland.
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."
She added: "I have worked in different fields but skills are transferable, so I carry what I have learned with me which will help me in my ministry."
The Reverend David Kellas, moderator of the Presbytery of Lochcarron and Skye, described the move as a "significant development" for the church.