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8 Headlines The Dawn Fellowship Barbara and Bob Dawn, siblings born in Auckland in 1927 and 1929, left a remarkable legacy to medicine when they bequeathed a large sum of money to the Neurological Foundation to establish a fellowship in their name. The Dawn Fellowship became available in 2022 to fund a clinician or post-doctoral fellow to carry out research into, in order of priority: Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease; peripheral neuropathy; Alzheimer’s disease; or dementia. Emerging neuroscientist Dr Whitney Whitford is the first to receive the Dawn Fellowship for a three-year genetic study of CMT. It is the single largest grant ever given to an individual by the Foundation (read more about her fascinating research on page 5). Barbara was a University of Auckland graduate andmanaged the laboratory at the iconic Chelsea Sugar factory on Auckland’s North Shore. Her brother Bob took over the Auckland Bedstead Company fromhis father, selling it upon retirement. The Dawn siblings grew up in Remuera with their parents Kathleen and William. They lived in Auckland all of their lives, enjoying breaks at the family bach at Manly and cottage at Hunua. Neither married nor had any children. They lived a modest lifestyle, allowing them to amass a substantial wealth, which they directed towards numerous charities. A former neighbour, who is also a supporter of the Neurological Foundation, shares this memory of the Dawn family: “Bob always planted a vegetable garden at Labour Weekend. Neighbours told us that if Bob and Barbara liked us we would get a fresh courgette come Christmas. We duly got one, so must have made the grade. They were a dear old couple of siblings and I am so pleased their money has gone to doing good works.” Bob passed away in 2007 and Barbara in 2018, but their joint legacy continues to benefit the causes they held dear. Gifts of KNOWLEDGE New Zealand’s contributions to understanding Charcot-Marie-Tooth have been made possible by two generous families who left legacies in their Wills to support research into the disease.