DIANE WRIGHT

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,

committed citizens can change the world.

Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.

          » Margaret Mead

The above quote by social anthropologist Margaret Mead has been a source of inspiration for Diane Wright.

A resident of Colac with a background in palliative and bereavement care, Diane is the visionary and founder of both Anam Cara House Geelong and Anam Cara House Colac.

‘Anam Cara’ is the Gaelic phrase for ‘soul friend’ and these two residential community hospices offer respite and end-of-life care in a ‘home-like’ environment for people with a chronic or life-limiting illness. The hospices were established after much community work and business support over a 12-year period, Anam Cara Geelong opening in 2007 and Anam Cara Colac in 2011.

Diane Wright was inducted onto the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in 2013.

She comes from a strong family tradition of community service and two of her relatives have also been inducted onto the Honour Roll: her great-great aunt Annette Bear-Crawford (1853–1899), who supported women’s suffrage and was instrumental in the founding of the Queen Victoria Hospital, and her aunt Dr Joy Bear (b. 1927) who worked for 70 years as a senior research scientist with the CSIRO and who has been active in promoting science in schools.