Lyn Swinburne

Lyn Swinburne, AM, (born 6 June 1952), is a prominent women's advocate, inspirational speaker and founder of Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA).

Swinburne was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1993 and underwent surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and hormone therapy. After that time, and as a result of her experiences, she became a committed advocate on behalf of women with breast cancer and their families.

In 1996, Swinburne began her work to establish Breast Cancer Network Australia, which was then formally launched in October 1998. BCNA is now the peak national breast cancer ‘consumer' organisation representing nearly 300 member groups and more than 110,000 individuals in all Australian states and territories. BCNA currently has a staff of more than 45 and a vast number of volunteers working for the organisation. Previously, Lyn had been a primary school teacher.

Swinburne is the creator of the Field of Women concept. This major public awareness and fundraising event, began in 1998 with the planting of 10,000 pink silhouettes (representing the number of Australians diagnosed with breast cancer that year) and 2,500 white silhouettes (representing the number who would die) on the lawns in front of Parliament House, Canberra. The Field of Women LIVE event evolved in later years, with major events in Melbourne 2005, Sydney 2007 and Melbourne 2010. This high-profile event involved many thousands of people standing together in pink ponchos in the shape of the Pink Lady silhouette. The Field of Women LIVE event at the MCG in 2010 was awarded the Meetings & Events Australia's Public Event of the Year. The Field of Women concept has now been taken up by various groups around the world and has become an annual event in some countries.

Swinburne established The Beacon magazine in 1996, with its current circulation of 70,000 and then The Inside Story magazine, the latter designed for women with secondary breast cancer. She led the development of the My Journey Kit, designed as a one-stop information shop’ for women recently diagnosed with breast cancer. This kit, has since been taken up and adapted by a range of cancer groups within Australia and internationally.

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