Storylines
Gina arrives in Summer Bay to attend the funeral of her nephew, Jack Holden (Paul O'Brien). Gina realises her brother Tony (Jon Sivewright) needs support, so she decides to stay in Summer Bay for a while. Gina forces Xavier to break up with Freya Duric (Sophie Hensser) so he can help take care of his brother Brendan, who suffers from learning difficulties. This causes friction between Gina and Xavier. She also tries to heal the rift between Xavier and her eldest son Hugo. Hugo walked out on his family after becoming tired of helping to care for Brendan. Gina decides Xavier should remain in Summer Bay to have time to himself and takes Brendan back home with her.
Gina returns to bring Brendan for a visit. Brendan seemed content to back with his family. When it is time to leave, Brendan refuses to. He pushes Gina over, breaking her ankle. Gina says she will be okay to look after Brendan by herself, but Hugo convinces her to let him stay while she recovers. When Gina returns again, she is upset and angry with Xavier to learn that Brendan has seriously injured Roman Harris (Conrad Coleby). When Hugo accidentally harms Brendan, Gina believes he did it on purpose. When they sort out their differences, she takes Brendan back to the city. She returns when it is Brendan's twenty first birthday, but a man named Ted, who she had been in a casual relationship with follows her. She goes on a holiday with him, but returns after Ted suggests she put Brendan in a home. Brendan befriends a Down's Syndrome sufferer, Ruby Leeds (Tracie Sammmut) and wants to move into in community housing with her. Gina refuses because she thinks he is not ready for independence. Though, over time she realises he is and eventually gives him consent.
Gina starts to feel she has no purpose without Brendan. She decides to revive her teaching career and applies for a science teaching job at Summer Bay High. Though Martin Bartlett (Bob Baines) is so impressed with her that he makes her the acting principal. She is initially worried because of when she used to be a principal, she got to vocal with students. She then meets John Palmer, when he comes to give a speech about surfing to her students. Gina is aware that John had been feuding with her brother. However, agrees to go on a date with him. As they start to spend more time together, Xavier is disapproving of John. This causes tension in her household. Gina later manages to convince Xavier that she wants to enter a relationship with John, despite his initial fears he may hurt her. Hugo is later killed and his part in human trafficking is exposed. Gina is disgusted by the revelation and does not attend her son's funeral. She then tries to block every memory of Hugo out and refuses to talk about him. Gina then helps Romeo Smith (Luke Mitchell) return to school. She tries to help his sister Mink Carpenter (Matylda Buczko) turn her life around. John and Gina become distant from one another. She tries to set things back on track by attempting to end the feud between John and Tony. She gives Tony a job at the school, but his attempts to introduce boxing lessons annoy Gina. Gina starts dating John again, but Xavier refuses to stand by her this time. When Xavier threatens to move out, she agrees to see John away from their home. She gradually lets John visit the house, which causes more problems. Gina tries to keep out of Tony and John's feud over boxing. Gina finds out Hugo is actually alive and his death had been a cover up. Gina helps Hugo hide from the police.
When John kisses Jill Carpenter (Josephine Mitchell), Gina avoids him. Gina is then kidnapped along with Xavier and Martha and are entrapped in a water vat, they escape death when Xavier manages to escape. Gina goes to see John who is entertaining Jill, he forces Gina to leave, leaving her confused. Gina manages to see Hugo one last time before he goes on the run with Martha. Gina is shocked when John tells Gina that he is seeing Jill because she is not as complicated as Gina. Romeo tries to help Gina win John back from his mother. John eventually decides to be with Gina. Gina asks him to move in but Xavier once again expresses his worries. She agrees to let April (Rhiannon Fish) and Bianca Scott (Lisa Gormley) move in for a while in return for Xavier being nice to John for two months. John later has a heart attack, this leaves Gina upset and she tells John she loves him. He then recovers and John proposes to Gina, but she turns him down because she assumes he is only asking because he is scared of dying. John decides to move out. She later realises she still wants John and they see each other in secret. John moves back in on the understanding they do not discuss marriage. Gina helps Roo Stewart (Georgie Parker) get money to Hugo and Martha. When Bianca runs away from her own wedding, Gina and John decide to get married in her place.
Gina is sacks Liam Murphy (Axle Whitehead) after he starts using drugs. Gina's old friend Vanessa Unley (Sarah Chadwick) arrives in town and she and Gina reminisce over old times when they were biker chicks. Vanessa accuses Gina of becoming boring and convinces her to go to a festival. The festival is cancelled and Gina and Vanessa go camping instead. John mistakenly thinks Gina is showing signs of menopause and invites Colleen Smart (Lyn Collingwood) to talk to her. John invites Gina to a tourism convention in Hawaii, but she turns the offer down when she learns Xavier is in hospital after nearly drowning. Gina allows Kelly O'Mara (Martika Sullivan) to stay with the family on the provision nothing happens between her and Xavier. However, Kelly and Xavier begin dating and tell Gina, who allows Kelly to stay because she is a good influence on her son. Gina is upset when Xavier leaves town to be with Kelly. She struggles with his decision to give up his HSC, but is relieved when he returns home. Gina expels Casey Braxton (Lincoln Younes) when she learns he bought a knife into school. During a large storm, the school roof falls in and the department of education decide to close the site. Gina is asked to hand over the school records, which makes her suspicious. She and some helpers look through the files to try and understand why the board want the school demolished. They learn repairs were not carried out to the roof following an earthquake and use it to blackmail the board into keeping the school open
When Jett James begins attended the high school and bullies VJ Patterson (Felix Dean), Gina takes an interest in him and begins to looking out for him. Gina helps Jett through his mother's death and father's reappearance. Xavier leaves to attend the police academy and Gina and John invite Jett to stay with them. Gina suspects John is having an affair with Marilyn, but they eventually resolve their relationship issues. Gina and John tell Jett that they want to adopt him and he is initially against the idea, but he later comes around to it. However, on the drive to the court to finalize the adoption, Gina begins suffering from a headache and hallucinations of herself. Gina suddenly stops the car, falls unconscious and dies from an aneurysm.
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