By Andrejs Medenis

After receiving the Woman of the Year Award for the Kiama Electorate in March, Christa Wood has now been awarded Rotarian of the Year 2025 for District 9705, which stretches from Merimbula in the south of NSW, north to Berry and Gerringong, and inland as far as Parkes and Griffith.

Christa has a passion for and dedication to everything she does and has been an inspirational leader in every role she has undertaken.

She was a lecturer at University of Wollongong Faculty of Business, gained her PhD and has contributed publications on cyberbullying and women in academia.

Her leadership and organisational skills are outstanding and Gerringong Rotary and numerous other community activities have benefited.

Christa was inducted into Gerringong Rotary Club in 2012 and has since played a vital role in various positions - President, Treasurer, Market Manager and Website Manager.

She set up the spreadsheets and systems to streamline our administration of the monthly Gerringong market and manage our website.

In 2017, through our Rotary Club, Christa started a Dementia Dancing program, which has been a great success.

A couple of years ago, Christa organised the Alchemy Choir South Coast for people living with and alongside Dementia, having seen the benefits of a similar group in Canberra.

This has successfully grown with very popular weekly sessions, and regular concerts.

In the past year, Christa started the Active Mindsteps Program – a program to assist seniors to maintain cognitive function and physical ability, by providing regular cognitive challenges, movement and social interaction in a supportive small group environment.

Active Mindsteps used a template from overseas, adapted to local conditions, and brought in a trainer from Austria to train local leaders.

The program now has groups on the South Coast, including Gerringong, and is being replicated in other areas.

Christa has vigorously pursued and obtained many very generous grants and donations from various sources to maintain these programs.

On top of all this, Christa also organises regular Rock’n’Dance sessions for the public to attend, a great way to stay fit - physically and cognitively.

Recently, Christa organised a First Aid Training Course for the Rotary Club.

In 2024, Christa set up Active Ageing NSW Inc. as an umbrella organisation to manage the growing portfolio of dementia-related activities to manage their administration and insurances, help facilitate grants and ensure the longevity of these programs.

Christa has also had a long association with Kiama Council in co-coordinating programs, seminars and educational sessions under the “Dementia Friendly Kiama” banner.

She was also vice-president of Berry Writers Inc, which organises a three-day literary festival in Berry every other year. She saw the festival through its first and second iterations before retiring to focus on her Active Ageing activities.

Christa is inspirational and very active in Gerringong Rotary despite all her responsibilities.

Her contribution has been extraordinary. Christa has been an Assistant District Governor and has also received a Paul Harris Fellow for exemplary community service. We are proud to have her in our club.