Tony Brennan – Chairman

Along with his mother Ros, Tony was instrumental in establishing the Breast Cancer Foundation of WA and for the first two years managed all the legal and administrative affairs, before moving to Queensland with his family to study law. Recently Tony returned home, bringing his boardroom skills back to the BCFWA plus a wealth of experience and knowledge from having advised local and state government bodies, Australian blue chip companies and national and international banks. His clients include BHP, Multiplex, Virgin Blue and Westfield Shopping Centres.

After leaving school Tony trained as a parachute emergency specialist in the Army before embarking on a career change. He holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Queensland, a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice and has worked with one of Australia's largest private law firms as a solicitor in the area of corporate advisory, mergers and acquisitions and banking and finance.

Currently Tony lectures in Corporate Finance and Commercial Law at Murdoch University and also teaches at the School of Management in Singapore.

Tony also has an extensive background in non-for-profit organizations, having worked with charities for almost twenty years. He has been a volunteer with the Make a Wish Foundation in WA, NSW and South Australia, as well as the children’s cancer support group CANTEEN. He is proud to be a part of the BCFWA and to have watched it grow from humble beginnings into such a well respected community group that makes a huge difference to the lives of so many people.

"Having been involved with charities for 17 years, and particularly having been involved with the Breast Cancer Foundation from the very beginning, I am passionate about this organisation because we continue to provide real and meaningful grassroots support to Western Australians touched by breast cancer. I am also extremely proud to work with so many dedicated staff and volunteers who share a common vision."

Malcolm Day – Vice Chairman

Whilst on holiday in America many years ago, Malcolm saw the massive success of phone dating and instantly knew it would be a great hit back in Australia. Returning home, he left his job as a mining surveyor and within twelve months, in partnership with one of the country’s most popular chain of adult stores, set up Adult Communication Services.

Malcolm was a visionary when it came to recognizing the unlimited potential of the worldwide web and went on to launch a fun and fresh website specializing in entertaining and unique adult products. In 1999, Adultshop.com was the first company of its kind to list on the Australian Stock Exchange.

An on-line advertising and e-commerce specialist, Malcolm came up with the clever concept of hosting a high profile function to benefit The Breast Cancer Foundation of WA. The Boobalicious Ball was born and is now considered one of the top ten events on the Perth social calendar, having raised over $100 000 for the charity. A Director since 2004, Malcolm also provides invaluable administrative, marketing and further fundraising support to the BCFWA.

Professor David Ingram - Director

Professor David Ingram is a Specialist Surgeon in the Management of Breast Diseases at the Mount Hospital Medical Centre, where he has worked for the past 20 years. A graduate of Melbourne University, he is also a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England and the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. He established and was the inaugural Director of the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital Breast Centre.

Regarded as a foremost expert in his field, Professor Ingram has conducted extensive research into the relationship between diet, hormones and breast cancer, having authored more than 75 scientific papers which have been published in highly respected medical journals. Treating several hundred patients with breast cancer every year, he is also a member of the Australasian Society for Breast Disease and the European Breast Cancer Society.

Professor Ingram has a wealth of experience in directorship, being a past Director of the National Breast Cancer Centre where he also was appointed to their Board of Management by the Minister for Health. He still continues in an advisory role for the NBCC, travelling several times a year to the eastern states to meet with them.

BCFWA Founder, Ros Worthington has been a patient of Professor Ingram’s for the last fifteen years, so he has closely followed the growth of the Foundation from the very early days of La Femme, providing support and advice along the way. This makes it very fitting that he is now taking on a more formal role within the charity so that he can further continue his ground-breaking work in this area.

“The years of working with women diagnosed with breast cancer has inspired me to support this grass roots organisation that really does make a difference in the community”

Marie-Anne Keeffe - Director

Marie-Anne Keeffe (MAK) is a media expert with a rare skill – extensive experience in television, radio and print.

An award winning journalist, she has worked as a producer and reporter on some of Australia’s top rating programs and has intimate knowledge of life behind and in front of the camera and microphone. As an Executive Producer of Channel Seven’s primetime current affairs program Today Tonight, MAK has more than a decade of experience in hard-hitting current affairs and news. She is also a feature writer for many high profile newspapers and glossy magazines.

An interest in the legal and ethical aspects of today’s media (she is currently undertaking a law degree) has seen MAK become a sought-after media commentator on radio news panels and an adviser to Government and the private sector. A polished MC, presenter and facilitator, she specializes in strategic communications and crisis management and is a skilled media trainer and consultant.

A volunteer with the WA Disabled Sports Association Marie-Anne truly believes in the concept of paying it forward. Having lost both her parents in the last five years to cancer, her involvement with the Foundation is one way she feels she can assist other women facing the same confronting challenges.

"It was while my father was gravely ill that I met with Ros and offered to help; from that day I have found a new family, sense of purpose and feel like I am doing something that really matters. Being blessed with so many great things in my life, I believe it’s so important to reach out and instead of continually making withdrawals from the universal bank of good karma, to make some serious deposits as well!"

Melina Dichiera - Director

Melina was first diagnosed with cancer when she was 27 years old – a shocking blow to a new mum with a fifteen month old baby boy. After a lumpectomy and months of radiotherapy she was given the all clear, only to be devastated again two years later when the cancer returned. Following a double mastectomy, Melina was relieved that the cancer had not spread, but crushed when told that she could have no more children. Miraculously, just three months later, she conceived her baby girl.

It was at La Femme Mastectomy that Melina first met and bonded with owner Ros Worthington and was asked if she would help to start an organization to help women like herself. She has been a volunteer with BCFWA since day one and was instrumental in establishing the under 40’s “The Young and The Breastless” Support Group. She also returned to study and is a Teacher’s Assistant at Loreto Primary School in Nedlands.

A proud Mother, Wife, Teacher and BCFWA Director, Melina believes that without her family, parents, husband Vince and Ros, she would not be the person she is today, which is what motivates her to help others. Her journey has made her realize that life is precious and Melina now makes it her mission every day to stop and smell the roses.

Steve Mummery - Director

Steve Mummery joined MIX 94.5 in October 1999 and just three months later the station rose to number one and has remained the most listened to station in Perth ever since. Steve and his team have smashed the record books in this market more than thirty times, having broken the record for “the number of different people listening to a Perth radio station” an amazing seven times. At their peak, MIX 94.5 had an extraordinary one in every three people listening to their easy music format and are currently the highest rating FM station in a capital city in Australia.

Steve has been with the Austereo radio network for fourteen years, having also worked in Melbourne and Canberra. Prior to programming MIX 94.5, he took Perth sister station 92.9 to the highest it had rated for several years.

His relationship with the BCFWA goes back to the days before the doors of the Foundation had even opened, and the commitment he has given on a personal and professional level since then has been unwavering. Steve's vision, passion and creative mind, combined with the generous backing of MIX 94.5 have been instrumental in raising funds and community awareness of the great work done by the BCFWA.

“As program director of Mix 94.5 I feel a community responsibility to be able to support charities, so we've been there since day one for BCFWA. From simple suggestions like changing the name from La Femme, to being the first Australian charity to raise money through marketing the purple silicon wrist bands. My closer involvement now as a Board Member will ensure that the profile of the Foundation continues to grow and prosper”

Joanne Palmer - Director

Joanne is an Executive Director within the Assurance and Advisory Business Services division of Ernst & Young in Perth. Originally seconded to Australia from London, she now calls Perth home and works predominantly in the mining and oil and gas sectors. Joanne has more than 11 years experience in providing audit and assurance services as well as advice on company listings, mergers, acquisitions and takeovers. She is a qualified Chartered Accountant in the UK and Australia, as well as a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Recognised for her ability to navigate complex accounting and regulatory issues, Joanne thoroughly enjoys the process of helping clients meet their goals. She has a depth of expertise in assisting smaller public companies list on the Australian Stock Exchange and is also the Ernst & Young national point of contact for Australian and New Zealand based entities seeking listings on the Alternative Investment Market - the London Stock Exchange.

“Whilst there’s limited history of Breast Cancer in my family, I’m keen to provide my knowledge and experience to the Breast Cancer Foundation of WA as I feel our values are closely aligned”.