Jillian Claire Tabart (born 1941) is a former president of the Assembly of the

Uniting Church in Australia The Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) is a united church in Australia. The church was founded on 22 June 1977 when most Wiktionary:congregation, congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, about two-thirds of the Presbyterian Church o ...

and medical practitioner. She served a three-year term as president of the assembly from July 1994 to July 1997, and was the first woman to be elected to the role. Tabart's father was a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

lay preacher A lay preacher is a preacher who is not ordained (i.e. a layperson) and who may not hold a formal university degree in theology. Lay preaching varies in importance between religions and their sects. Overview Some denominations specifically disco ...

. She was born in Melbourne and studied at Methodist Ladies' College,

Kew Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is ...

and

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...

. She married Ken in 1966 and the family moved to Tasmania in 1969, initially to

Hobart Hobart ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly hal ...

, then to Launceston, following his work opportunities. She was elected Moderator of the Uniting Church Synod of Tasmania, serving in that role from 1983 to 1984. Tabart was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the 2022 Australia Day Honours for "service to the Uniting Church in Australia".

References

Uniting Church in Australia presidents 20th-century Australian women medical doctors 20th-century Australian medical doctors Australian medical doctors Living people Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia 1941 births {{Christian-clergy-stub