Welcome to Foundation Diane
Foundation Diane is a tax deductible not-for-profit organisation committed to raising funds for research on the early and accurate detection of cancers to improve the health and well being of Australians. The Foundation commemorates Diane Bath who died in 1996 of a rare form of cancer. Her mother, Gwen, wife of rugby league legend Harry Bath, was a significant contributor to establishing Foundation Diane to fulfil her daughter Diane’s wish to support the cancer research work of her close friend Professor Carolyn Mountford. Gwen remains actively involved in Foundation Diane as a Patron.
Professor Mountford is currently Director of Centre for Clinical Spectroscopy, Department of Radiation, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Visiting Professor of Radiology at the Harvard Medical School in the USA. She remains closely involved with Foundation Diane and is Medical Director of the Foundation.
Carolyn and Diane were close personal friends from childhood. Carolyn’s father, Ces Mountford played for Wigan and Diane’s father, Harry Bath, played for Warrington at a time when Wigan and Warrington were the best rugby league teams in England. The competition between the teams was always fierce but when Ces Mountford moved to Warrington as coach the Mountford and Bath families developed a firm friendship.
Patron, Bob Dwyer AM, says of his involvement in Foundation Diane , "I was impressed with the high level of volunteer commitment to raising funds for research into diseases which have a significant impact on our society. I was intrigued to learn the Foundation was based on a friendship founded in sport. Diane’s husband, Phil Robertson, was a school friend of mine and a rugby union team-mate. So I became involved. Life is wonderful. We must all strive to ensure that it continues to be so for all people."
Diane encouraged Carolyn to continue with her innovative research in the days when the new technology of magnetic resonance spectroscopy was considered ‘black magic’. Now it is being used worldwide to help people with a range of diseases by making better management decisions and improving their outcomes.
The beginning of a life long friendship. Carol Mountford and Diane Bath. Marfield Private College Warrington. Wembley Cup, Lancashire League Cup, Champion Cup won in 1954. Coach Ces Mountford, Harry Bath Sec. Row Forward.
