Our History
In Brief..
Before Lipoedema Australia was the national representative & charitable body for lipoedema, it began as small Facebook support group for women living with lipoedema.
Since 2012, Lipoedema Australia has gone on to help thousands of people living with the disease through raising awareness, providing education to patients and health professionals, and advocating for recognition of the disease within Australia.
Lipoedema Australia has had many successes including our biennial national conference, June Awareness Month, and fundraising for lipoedema research. Our closed Facebook group Lipoedema Australia (LASS), however, remains central to the organisation. The group provides individuals with a safe and supportive environment with which to share experiences, knowledge, and resources. Above all, the group empowers people with lipoedema by connecting them to a community that can offer them emotional support and acceptance.
From LASS to Lipoedema Australia
2012
Commencing in January, 2012 Lipoedema Australia Support Society (LASS) was founded by Coral Freeman and Jennie Reen as a Facebook group.
LASS became an incorporated association in June 2012, with the first Lipoedema Awareness Month being celebrated during that June. The members at that time comprised of President: Nola Young, Vice President: Jennie Reen; Treasurer: Louise Mansfield, Secretary: Clarissa Newman, and Public Officer: Coral Freeman.
LASS was the first English speaking Lipoedema support group and as such was the springboard for many other support groups, such as Lipoedema Ladies (UK), Talk Lipoedema (UK), Lipedema Sisters (USA) and many others across the world.
From the beginning LASS has had a wider role than some other Facebook support groups; the role has always been seen from the perspective of offering advocacy, education and support to people with Lipoedema and their families, as well as the support of a closed Facebook page for sufferers.
2014
In March 2014, Lipoedema Australia Support Society Inc. held its first national conference in Sydney. It was a sell out; with people attending from all over Australia and and New Zealand. The conference was hailed as a great success and has set the bar high for the ensuing conferences.
2016
In June 2016, the second national conference took place in Melbourne, featuring international speakers Dr Karen Herbst from the USA, Dr Josef Stutz from Germany, and Mr Ramin Shayan, renowned reconstructive plastic surgeon and Director of the O’Brien Research Institute, Melbourne. A philanthropic funding trust registered their interest in investing in lipoedema research at the O’Brien Institute. The LASS team then assisted with this research by recruiting suitable candidates to be involved in the research.
2017
The growth of LASS meant that being a NSW incorporated body became outgrown, so in March 2017 the group officially made the transition to Lipoedema Australia Ltd. embracing its role as an Australia-wide entity with charity status granted soon after.
2018
Our third conference in August 2018 was held at the Gold Coast and again attracted international speakers and attendees.
2022
Our long awaited fourth conference was held in Sydney after a number of postponements due to Covid-19. This conference was held both in-person and virtually, to allow members who were unable to travel to still attend, and was a resounding success.
Our founding chairperson, Nola Young, retired from the board at the end of 2022, with Jen Bartlett taking the lead. Vice-chair, Janine Donaldson, took the reins from Carla Daly.
2023
The Lipoedema Australia board size increased to reflect the growing need for specific skillsets as our community evolves. An advisory board was also assembled, to provide expertise and feedback from a healthcare perspective, as the board navigates the next steps in our evolution.
Lipoedema Australia would not be what it is without the founding members of LASS stepping up and starting us on the journey of helping Australian women with lipoedema.
Connect to Support
Find Out More
Treatment
Resources
Conference
Fundraise
Your Support is Needed!
Your contribution assists Lipoedema Australia in continuing our work in raising awareness, promoting acceptance and providing advocacy for people with lipoedema. We are proudly supporting research at St Vincent’s Institute, led by Dr. Tara Karzenis and Assoc. Prof. Ramin Shayan, as well as other innovative research projects.
Donations of $2 and over are fully tax deductible in Australia
Stay in the Know..
Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates.
We respect your privacy