A bequest for hope

Gary Curtis Leukaemia Research Scholarship

A remarkable and enduring legacy of hope in the fight against blood cancer has been created through a generous bequest from Gary Curtis.

Each year, around 5,000 Australians are diagnosed with leukaemia – a type of blood cancer that begins in the bone marrow, where blood cells are produced.

The disease is characterised by the uncontrolled growth of abnormal blood-forming cells, which crowd out healthy red and white blood cells and platelets.

Despite advances in treatment and care, outcomes remain poor, with around one-third of patients dying within five years of diagnosis.

After battling leukaemia for several years, Gary Curtis was one of those patients, sadly passing away in 2024 at the age of 77.

Gary was an only child who grew up in Adelaide’s western suburbs. For much of his adult life he lived in a cottage in North Adelaide, working in a men’s clothing store in the city. He had a deep appreciation for music, art, theatre and reading.

In the 1970s and 80s Gary lived in London, where he worked at the luxury department store Liberty. Here he met lifelong friend Sheila Cohen, with whom he travelled throughout the United Kingdom and Europe.

During his treatment for leukemia, Gary was deeply impressed by the expertise and care provided by his medical team at Flinders Medical Centre, led by Associate Professor David Ross, and was grateful for the guidance of Flinders University researcher, Professor Bryone Kuss– an experience that strengthened his confidence in the University’s research capability.

While fighting the disease, Gary benefited from recently approved medication developed from a research study. He understood the impact research could have on improving medical treatments and actively contributed to this work by participating in a clinical trial.

Gary Curtis

Recognising both the urgent need and potential impact of research, Gary made the decision to continue the fight against leukaemia beyond his lifetime by leaving the sale of his estate as a donation in his Will to support leukaemia research at Flinders University.

Today, Gary’s extraordinary $1.36 million bequest to Flinders University supports emerging researchers and clinicians through the Gary Curtis Leukaemia Research Scholarship.

The scholarship funds PhD candidates whose work addresses the complex pre-leukaemic conditions that significantly increase the risk of the aggressive disease, including Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukaemia, Myelodysplastic syndromes, and Myeloproliferative diseases.

“Developing new knowledge around leukaemia and identifying the early mechanisms of the disease is vital to improving patient outcomes and ultimately shifting the trajectory from treatment to prevention and cure,” says Professor Kuss.

“Creating opportunities for exceptional early career researchers and clinicians, Gary’s bequest will strengthen the pipeline of expertise needed to tackle one of the world’s most devastating diseases.”

Through close collaboration with clinicians and medicinal chemists, the leukemia research team at Flinders University is designing next-generation treatments and innovative approaches that selectively attack cancer cells, while sparing healthy immune cells.

Importantly, people with lived experience of cancer are active partners in this work, ensuring research remains focused on delivering meaningful benefits for patients and their families.

Demonstrating the depth of his generosity, Gary also left a portion of his estate to South Australia’s Women’s and Children’s Hospital to provide immediate support to children suffering from leukaemia.

Flinders University is grateful for Gary’s extraordinary bequest, which will accelerate discovery, nurture excellence and foster future leaders in the field of leukaemia research – creating a legacy of hope and the promise of better outcomes for patients and their families.