20 years of supporting women with cancer 

2021

Our new-look website is launched, making it easier to navigate our site and access information.

• Our online wellbeing day for women living with metastatic cancer is a success.
• Master of Social Work students from the University of Melbourne complete a complex exploratory study of the processes which support our peer support program.
• We are involved in the extension to the My Care Plan for women with endometrial cancer and development of a risk profile tool for women with breast and ovarian cancer.

2020

When the pandemic arrived, we moved all our events online, and operated our Resource Centre remotely, thanks to the dedication of our Peer Support Volunteers who made calls from their homes.

• In February, we hold a wellbeing day for women with cancer, in partnership with the Mercy Hospital for Women.
• We run a pilot Stepping into Wellness 6-week exercise program online.
• We send more frequent ‘iso’ emails to women on our mailing list to offer additional support during lock-downs.

We reach more women across the state thanks to 2 projects funded by the Victorian Government. The Rural and Regional Project, and the Area-based Project (working in southern and eastern Melbourne) helped us to work closely with health
professionals, increase awareness of Counterpart, and run more events.

• Bridge of Support expands to see women with gynaecological cancers at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.
• The Telehealth Project was funded by LUCRF Super Community Program and expanded our capacity to support women across Victoria.
• We partnered with regional health professionals to run hosted webinar screenings.
• Women's Health Victoria celebrates its 25th anniversary by honoring 25 Champions for Women, including 4 women who played a huge part in our service: Rhonda Cole, Judy Sammut OAM, Belinda Astl and Di Missen.

2018

At a celebratory event in April, we celebrate 15 years of our service, and Hon Gabrielle Williams MP, then Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Parliamentary Secretary for Carers and Volunteers, launches the Counterpart Navigator app, featuring 6 new gynaecological cancer Navigators.

• We reach 30,000 contacts with women affected by cancer.
• Heather Beanland, former volunteer and BreaCan founder, receives a Counterpart Champion Award.
• We run six Stepping into Wellness programs in outer metropolitan Melbourne, with the support of Pink Affair.

Our new name Counterpart – women
supporting women with cancer is launched by Dale Fisher, CEO of Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in May.

• Thanks to Pink Affair we help women get back into exercise with six Stepping into Wellness programs; in Cranbourne, Fawkner, Heidelberg, Noble Park, Sunshine and Sydenham.
• We run our first outreach Making Connections session, with Eastern Health, in Croydon.
• We have poster presentations on Bridge of Support at Western Health at the 3rd Flinders Centre for Innovation in Cancer Survivorship Conference in Adelaide, and the Victorian Integrated Cancer Services Conference in Melbourne.
• The Besen Family Foundation donate funds to support outreach and increasing access for women from diverse backgrounds.

2016

Bridge of Support Western Health is launched at Sunshine Hospital, with the support of LUCRF Super Community Program.

• BreaCan joins the steering committee for a Melbourne University metastatic breast cancer project.
• Another group of volunteers celebrate 10 years of service at a morning tea in National Volunteer Week.
• Lee Kennedy, BreaCan Manager, joins the planning committee of the Flinders Survivorship Conference 2017.
• We present on the gaps in cancer information and support at the 19th Annual Congress of Cancer Nurses Society of Australia in Cairns.

2015

Pink Affair funds Stepping into Wellness, beginning a partnership that assists women getting back into exercise after cancer in suburban Melbourne.

• LUCRF Super Community Program funds a 2-year pilot program to bring Bridge of Support to Western Health.
• We present at survivorship and cancer conferences in Adelaide, Melbourne and Brisbane.
• An independent evaluation is carried out by researchers from Deakin University and provides recommendations to guide the service into the future.

2014

Premier Hon Denis Napthine launches our Connecting and Supporting Rural and Regional Women with Cancer project in Geelong, funded by the Victorian Government. Our project partners are Barwon South West Regional and Grampians Integrated Cancer Services.

• We hold our first webinar, a Making Connections session on managing cancer pain. Webinars allow women who can’t make it into the city to participate online.
• We offer more outreach sessions in response to feedback from women who want to be able to attend events in their local area.
• We organise education and wellbeing sessions as part of Breast Cancer Network Australia’s Pink Moves programs in Ascot Vale and Northcote.

Our service celebrates ten years of connecting, supporting and informing women with breast or a gynaecological cancer to live well.

• At a morning tea in October:
  • The Hon David Davis MP launches the BreaCan Navigator.
  • The Hon Mary Wooldridge MP unveils a 10 year anniversary quilt made by BreaCan volunteers, women who used the service and supporters.
  • We recognise the incredible contributions of Judy Sammut by awarding her the inaugural BreaCan Champion award.

• 8 volunteers celebrate a decade of volunteering.
• BreaCan staff co-author a poster presentation, with Prof Bruce Mann and others, on survivorship for the 2013 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.
• We hold a forum for Vietnamese-speaking women who have experienced cancer, providing information, tai chi and a chance to connect with our Peer Support Volunteers through interpreters.

2012

Almost 100 women who have had breast or a gynaecological cancer connect with each other at our regional forums in Sale and Geelong.

• BreaCan partners with the Breast Service of the Royal Melbourne and Royal Women’s Hospitals, Western Health and the Inner North West Melbourne Medicare Local to develop a survivorship program for women completing treatment for early breast cancer. This project is funded through the Victorian Cancer Survivorship Program phase II.
• Our volunteer team grows to over 50 women.
• Cancer Australia funds a second project to improve support for CALD women, building on the findings of the 2010 project.

The Hon Mary Wooldridge, Minister for Mental Health, Women’s Affairs and Community Services joins our morning tea celebrating National Volunteer Week and the 10th anniversary of International Year of the Volunteer.

• Our partnership with Ovarian Cancer Australia improves access to support and information for women diagnosed with a gynaecological cancer.
• We present a poster on Bridge of Support at the 13th National Breast Care Nurse Conference.
• We hold two information days in the western suburbs of Melbourne for women from diverse backgrounds who have experienced breast or a gynaecological cancer.
• We partner with the Mercy Hospital to run a forum for women with a gynaecological cancer in Heidelberg.

2010

Bridge of Support at the Breast Service of Royal Melbourne and Royal Women’s Hospitals brings peer support to women during their cancer treatment. Our new program is launched by the Hon Daniel Andrews MP, Minister for Health.

• Stepping into Exercise: the experiences of women living with cancer is presented to the 8th Australasian Lymphology Association Conference.
• Cancer Australia fund a two-year project to understand and improve support and information for women from a CALD background, in partnership with Western Health.
• We collaborate with The Women’s to deliver a seven-week program for women experiencing early menopause after cancer.

Steps for Fun and Fitness, a five-week exercise program for women post-cancer treatment is delivered at Bulleen, Mitcham and Epping. This is part of a Cancer Australia-funded project we undertook with the North Eastern Melbourne Integrated Cancer Service (NEMICS).

• Our Recipes for Living forums connect women in Craigieburn and Frankston.
• We hold a Young Women Talking forum, for women under 45, funded by the The Young Ones, a breast cancer support group.
• We present papers on peer support and the BreaCan model at the 15th International Reach to Recovery Conference in Brisbane and the 11th National Breast Care Nurses Conference in Melbourne.

2008

BreaCan partners with the Royal Melbourne Hospital, the Royal Women’s Hospital and Western Health to run a music therapy program. Women meet over 5 weeks to sing together, and write and record a CD called Our Voices Our Songs.

• The first Peer Support Volunteers with a gynaecological cancer diagnosis are recruited and trained.
• We begin a two-year project 'Reaching out to women with gynaecological cancers: Innovations in supportive care', in partnership with North Eastern Melbourne Integrated Cancer Service, funded by Cancer Australia.
• An Advisory Group of health professionals, volunteers and women who have experienced cancer forms to inform the development of the service.

BreaCan expands our successful model to support women who have experienced a gynaecological cancer.

• Our service wins a Victorian Public Health Care Award for Innovation in Models of Care.
• Free reflexology sessions are offered to women for the first time as evidence starts to show the positive impact of some complementary therapies on the wellbeing of women living with cancer.
• We hold a forum in Gippsland, attracting 38 women from across the region.

2006

BreaCan moves into the Queen Victoria Women’s Centre. The new centre are launched by the Hon Mary Delahunty, Minister for Women’s Affairs.

• Young Women Talking, a multimedia resource (book and DVD) for women diagnosed with breast cancer under 45, is released with the support of Cancer Council Victoria.
• We now have 30 Peer Support Volunteers.
• Our 1300 number is launched, allowing women in rural Victoria to ring us for the cost of a local call.

Chorus of Women enables women who have experienced breast cancer to connect with each other and improve their wellbeing through music, culminating in dramatic and much-loved concert performances.

• An evaluation of BreaCan shows a significant impact on the wellbeing of women living with breast cancer. As a result, we secure recurrent funding from the Victorian government.
• Here and Now eight-week support programs bring women living with advanced cancer together to share and support each other.
• The first Making Connections program provides information and wellbeing sessions to meet the unique needs of women living with advanced/metastatic cancer.

2004

Our volunteer team expands with a second intake of Peer Support Volunteers, which includes our first volunteer living with metastatic cancer.

• We trial a model of support for women living with advanced cancer, thanks to funding from the Victorian Government.
• We start building a library collection on a range of topics which offers free resources to women with cancer.
• We participate in regional programs led by regional women’s health services to increase support for women in rural Victoria.

The Hon Bronwyn Pike, Minister for Health, launches BreaCan on 11 April 2003.

• The first intake of Peer Support Volunteers finish their training and 12 volunteers begin supporting women in the Resource Centre three days per week.
• The What’s On program commences offering 15 health and wellbeing sessions in the first year.
• The Feel Good Gentle Exercise program starts, providing free, fortnightly exercise sessions for women following breast cancer treatment.