Christine Unsworth
Bridgewater & Newbridge Ambassador
Christine Unsworth has been the Executive Director of The Royal Children's Hospital Good Friday Appeal for more than a decade and with the support of a small office team and thousands of volunteers, has introduced initiatives that have raised over $130m for The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne.
A 25 year long association with The Royal Children's Hospital has seen Christine hold positions of Executive Director of the hospital's Foundation, Public Relations Manager and Co-ordinator of Volunteers and Auxiliaries. She is passionate about the work of The Royal Children's Hospital and is its true advocate in the community. Her admiration for the donors and those who support the Good Friday Appeal is sincere and heartfelt. She sees herself as simply the custodian of the Appeal, and it is this humble and clear commitment that has earned her the respect of many and helped to build a solid sense of trust and confidence in the Appeal in the greater community.
In recognition of her work at The Royal Children's Hospital, Christine was awarded the ANZ Bank Travelling Scholarship, enabling her to visit and learn from volunteer and fundraising organisations in America and Canada. In 2007 Christine was awarded The Royal Children's Hospital Chairman's Medal.
The citation for the Chairman's Medal described her as "dedicated, astute, innovative, energetic, efficient, diplomatic, vibrant and passionate - admired for her ability to mix with everyone and as much at home in a country pub as in a board room. "Christine's focus has always been community, and she has held many positions both voluntary and professional in this arena.
Before commencing her tenure at The Royal Children's Hospital, Christine managed an Early Childhood Development Program and the Gisborne & District Community Health Centre.
Christine serves as a Director of The Mazda Foundation.
A resident of Gisborne, Christine loves the outdoors, travels extensively, is an avid reader and considers herself one of the luckiest people in the world! She is extremely proud of her family and treasures the time spent with her four children, their partners and her seven grandchildren.