Gina Growden

(PDG Harold Sharp)

Gina was invited to join the Rotary Club of Lane Cove in 1998 shortly after she commenced as the Chief Executive of the Prostate Cancer Foundation, an organisation established by the Lane Cove club and strongly supported by it. The following year was the club's Vocational Service Director and Bulletin editor and so began her involvement in and passion for Rotary.

During the next five years Gina's Rotary experience widened significantly as she took on other Board roles within Lane Cove and became the partner of the future District Governor of District 9680.  Her husband, Harold Sharp, a member of the Crows Nest Club, was Governor in 2002-03 which was a truly exciting and rewarding time for both of them.

In 2004 Harold and Gina relocated to the Central Coast and Gina transferred her Rotary membership to the Terrigal Club.  Her retirement from full-time work at that stage meant she then had more time to devote to Rotary. Her District Rotary experience began in 2004 when she was invited to join District 9680’s Scholarships Committee; she served on that committee for the next eight years, the last three as its chair.  In 2008 Gina was very fortunate to be selected to lead a Group Study Exchange team to Brazil and two years later chaired the GSE District Committee, organising an exchange with Germany, and along with Harold, a Wheelchair Group Study Exchange with Arizona – the first time such an exchange had been carried out in Rotary anywhere in the world.  Both were extremely successful resulting in a Rotary Foundation District Service Award being presented to each of them at the District Awards Night that year.   Gina became the first female President of Terrigal club in 2008-9 and served a second term as President in 2012-13.  She has also held most board positions since joining Terrigal.  DG George Papallo invited Gina to become an Assistant Governor in 2010-11 and for the next three years she carried out the role of District Secretary.

Gina is a multiple Paul Harris Fellow, a Centurion and a Benefactor of The Rotary Foundation. Harold and Gina have been married for 20 years. Harold has three married children and seven grandchildren ranging in age from 16 to three. Gina enjoys tennis, swimming, going to the gym, reading and entertaining, and is an avid Central Coast Mariners supporter.