Born Dorothy Ivy Wacker, thea Gaia (stylised as thea) was the first female ordained as a Minister of Religion within the

Congregational Church Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice congregational government. Each congregation independently a ...

of Australia in Queensland. She has been described as the 'midwife' of

Goddess A goddess is a female deity. In some faiths, a sacred female figure holds a central place in religious prayer and worship. For example, Shaktism (one of the three major Hinduism, Hindu sects), holds that the ultimate deity, the source of all re ...

spirituality in Australia.

Early life

Gaia was the eldest of four children born to Anne and George Wacker of Gatton,

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

. She finished high school in 1947 and studied primary teaching at Queensland Teacher's College.

Career

Gaia worked at the School for the Deaf, Dutton Park,

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

between 1950 and 1952. During this time she joined South Brisbane Congregational Church and became President of Queensland Congregational Youth Fellowship. At age 22, she began a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

and

Bachelor of Divinity In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD, DB, or BDiv; ) is an academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies. ...

University of Queensland The University of Queensland is a Public university, public research university located primarily in Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. Founded in 1909 by the Queensland parliament, UQ is one of the six sandstone ...

in order to become a minister. She was ordained on 17 April 1959 at Broadway,

Woolloongabba Woolloongabba ( ) is an inner southern Suburbs and localities (Australia), suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Woolloongabba had a population of 8,687 people. Geography Woolloongabba is located by road south of the ...

. She served terms at Belmont, Broadway and Chernside Congregational Churches. In 1965–8, Gaia was the Director of Christian Education. At this same time (1966-7) she was also Acting Secretary of Queensland Congregational Union. In 1970, she was called to Applecross Church in

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

. In Perth she continued her leadership as State President of the Congregational Union (1973), Vice President (1973-5) and then President Elect of the Congregational Union of Australia (1975–77). Gaia was also a member of the

World Council of Churches The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a worldwide Christian inter-church organization founded in 1948 to work for the cause of ecumenism. Its full members today include the Assyrian Church of the East, most jurisdictions of the Eastern Orthodo ...

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

in 1975 and President of Australian Church Women (1975-7). At this time she was called to Pilgrim City Church,

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

. In Adelaide she served as chairperson for the Australian Consultation of Theologically Trained Women. In 1982, she resigned her position in the church because she began "to seriously question the validity of religious systems in a person’s spiritual quest, with all their hierarchical structures, authority, tradition and patriarchal emphasis, and the general place of women in church and society." In the same year, she changed her name from Dorothy - meaning gift of god - to thea Rainbow to show her connection to the Goddess. Gaia became increasing disillusioned with the church and in 1984 travelled to the

USA The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

and lived in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

.On her return to Australia in the 1990s, she moved to

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

where she worked as a tutor at the University of Canberra. In 1994, she changed her name again to thea Gaia. In 2003, she was living in the Blue Mountains and was writing an autobiography.

Writing

Gaia published in various women centred theology journals including ''Magdalene'' and '' Women-Church Journal''. She also contributed the chapter Goddess/Witch/Womon in ''Practising the Witch's Craft: Real Magic Under a Southern Sky'' by Douglas Ezzy.

Women's groups

Gaia was pivotal in the development of The Rainbow Circle - one of Australia's first feminist women's communities, Woman's Spirit Rising - a Canberra Goddess community, Gaia womanspace - a women's connective, Sisters of Gaia.

Death

Gaia died on May 15, 2016, at 85 years of age.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaia, Thea Australian Congregationalist ministers Australian Congregationalists Women Christian clergy 1931 births 2016 deaths