Lilian Wells (1911–2001) was an Australian church leader who served as president of the
Congregational Union of Australia
The Congregational Union of Australia was a Congregational denomination in Australia that stemmed from the Congregational Church in England as settlers migrated from there to Australia.
Congregational Churches existed in all states and territo ...
, and the first moderator of the New South Wales Synod of the
Uniting Church in Australia
The Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) was founded on 22 June 1977, when most congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, about two-thirds of the Presbyterian Church of Australia and almost all the churches of the Congregational Uni ...
. She was the only woman to serve in the role of president for the Congregational Union. She served on the joint committee that planned the merger of the Congregationalist, Methodist and Presbyterian churches that formed the Uniting Church in Australia in 1977. She was appointed an Officer of
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
in 1977, for her service to the church.
Early life and education
Lilian Charlotte Ault was born on 15 December 1911 in
Moonee Ponds, Victoria
Moonee Ponds is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Moonee Valley local government area. Moonee Ponds recorded a population of 16,224 at the 20 ...
. She was the first child born to her parents, Frederick Howell Ault and Mabel Lydia Ault (née Leslie). Her father worked as an engineer, and during her secondary school years, the family moved to Hobart, Tasmania, because of a change in his employment. After graduating from the Hobart high school, she attended the
University of Tasmania
The University of Tasmania (UTAS) is a public research university, primarily located in Tasmania, Australia. Founded in 1890, it is Australia's fourth oldest university. Christ College, one of the university's residential colleges, first prop ...
, where she earned a
bachelor of arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...
in 1932 and a
master's degree
A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice. in 1934. She completed a
diploma of education
The Diploma of Education, often abbreviated to DipEd or GradDipEd, is a postgraduate qualification offered in many Commonwealth countries including Australia, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
Overview
The diploma can build on the g ...
at the
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb no ...
in 1935.
Lilian Ault was raised in the
Methodist Church and participated in the
Australian Student Christian Movement, serving as a Methodist delegate to SCM gatherings in Melbourne and Ballarat. Through her participation in SCM, she met
Henry Thomas Wells, a Congregationalist from South Melbourne. The couple married on 11 July 1938, at the Auburn Methodist Church, in
Auburn, Victoria
Auburn is an unbounded neighbourhood of the suburb of Hawthorn, Melbourne, Australia, in the state of Victoria. Its postcode is 3123.
It is in the local government areas of the City of Boroondara.
The area is renowned for its outstanding comm ...
. Henry Wells had been ordained a Congregationalist minister in 1937, and began his ministry serving a church in
Brunswick, Victoria. The couple had three children together, one son and two daughters.
Career
Lilian Wells spent three years working as a teacher at the
Methodist Ladies' College in Melbourne, where she gave instruction in French and German. After her marriage, she focused on raising her three children. As the wife of a minister, she took on significant volunteer roles in the congregations he served, such as teaching Sunday school and participating in the local women's guilds. Over time her participation in the Congregational Women's Fellowship grew from local involvement into holding a regional and then national role. In 1955, she was elected president of the Congregational Women's Fellowship of New South Wales. From 1964 to 1968, she served as the national president of the Congregational Women's Fellowship, as well as the president of South Australia's Congregational Women's Fellowship.
By 1962, Henry Wells had become the minister and president of the Congregational Union of Australia; he served in this role for a two year term. The Wells then travelled to Great Britain, where they stayed from 1966 to 1967. Upon their return to Australia in 1967, they moved to Sydney. Lilian Wells joined the
Australian Council of Churches' executive team in 1967. She was also active in the leadership of the Pan-Pacific and South East Asia Women’s Association of Australia. Henry Wells became the secretary for the Congregational Union of Australia, a post he would hold for a decade.
In 1973, Lilian Wells was elected as vice-president for the Congregational Union of New South Wales, the first woman to be so elected. She became president in 1975 and served two years. She was the only woman to ever serve in this role, and the last president. These were dynamic years to be in leadership, as the Congregationalists were in dialogue with Presbyterians and Methodists over a proposed merger that eventually led to the creation of the
Uniting Church in Australia
The Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) was founded on 22 June 1977, when most congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, about two-thirds of the Presbyterian Church of Australia and almost all the churches of the Congregational Uni ...
.
Wells served on the joint planning committee for the merger, and was influential in shaping the new denomination,
which was officially formed on June 1977.
Wells was one of two women participating in the inauguration service for the Uniting Church in Australia, held in July 1977.
At that gathering, she was confirmed as the moderator of the New South Wales Synod of the Uniting Church in Australia, a position she had held in an interim capacity as the new denomination was formed. She was the only woman in a leadership position in the newly formed church. She served one year as moderator, and in 1978, was succeeded by Ronald Bevan Sparks, who served from 1978 to 1979.
Wells later worked for Amnesty International and taught English as a second language. She also was an advocate for reconciliation with Indigenous people.
Death and legacy
Wells died on 3 April 2001 at
Eastwood, New South Wales.
The Lilian Wells Nursing Home, now known as Uniting Lilian Wells North
Paramattta, was named in her honour in 1991.
Awards
Wells was made an Officer of the
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
on 31 December 1977.
She was recognized for her service to the church.
References
External links
Photo of Lilian Wellsby
Getty Images
Lilian Wells with Rev. R.W. Albiston in 1975- photo by Getty Images
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wells, Lilian
1911 births
2001 deaths
Uniting Church in Australia people
20th-century Australian women
Australian Congregationalists
People from Moonee Ponds, Victoria
Australian Officers of the Order of the British Empire
University of Tasmania alumni
University of Melbourne alumni
People from Hobart