Episode 194 – The Origin & Impact of the McGrath Foundation, with Co-founder Tracy Bevan

Some friendships change your life. This one changed Australia. 

When Tracy Bevan met Jane McGrath at an airport café in 1996, they were simply two British women far from home, trying to find their place in a new country while their husbands travelled the world playing cricket. 

What neither of them knew was that a friendship forged over cups of tea, loneliness, laughter and life's challenges would go on to impact hundreds of thousands of Australian families. 

Tracy co-founded the McGrath Foundation with Jane in 2005. Two cricket wives, a kitchen table, no roadmap. Before Jane passed away in June 2008, Tracy made her a promise: to keep going, to honour what they had started together and to ensure no family would ever face cancer alone. She has spent nearly two decades since keeping that promise. 

Today, 367 McGrath Cancer Care Nurses, 174,000+ families supported, and a mission that has changed what a cancer diagnosis looks like in Australia. 

In this episode, Tracy shares the story behind one of Australia’s most loved charities - not from a corporate lens, but from the heart of a best friend who has spent nearly two decades honouring Jane’s legacy. 

We explore: 

• How a difficult childhood taught Tracy resilience and the powerful lesson that helped her break free from the past 

• Jane McGrath’s breast cancer diagnosis that changed everything and how one moment between two best friends sparked a national movement 

• How one extraordinary nurse helped Jane navigate her darkest days and inspired a mission to ensure no family faces cancer alone 

• What it really takes to build a lasting organisation from scratch, growing from a kitchen-table idea to one of Australia's most trusted charities 

Today, one in two Australians will face a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime. You may already know someone who has. 

It's a sobering reminder that the work of the McGrath Foundation is far from finished. Behind every diagnosis is a family navigating uncertainty, fear, and change and that's why the Foundation's support is needed now more than ever. To learn more, seek support, or contribute to this incredible mission, visit the McGrath Foundation website. 

Tracy, thank you for keeping your promise to Jane and reminding us that one act of care can become a ripple that reaches families we may never meet, in places we may never see. 

Sincerely,  
 
Jeremy Hutchings & the Farm Owners Academy Team