Family and friends are mourning the loss of Manly nurse Phoebe Dawson (nee Barnet) who died in a head on vehicle collision on the Wakehurst Parkway in mid-February. Police confirm today, 14 March, that there are as yet no charges laid in relation to the crash and it remains under investigation.
Phoebe was described by her closest friends as “absolute sunshine.”
A funeral was held for the 31-year-old last week, with friends and family wanting to share their grief publicly so that others who knew her, and even those who never met, can realise the enormity of loss.
We do so with the explicit consent of the family.
Phoebe’s husband, Tim, said his wife “lived her life for family, friends and community above all else,” and asked that donations be made to Manly’s Bear Cottage, in lieu of flowers.
The couple married at Manly in 2022, after many years travelling the world and working on superyachts together. When the pair returned during COVID, Phoebe worked at North Shore Private Hospital on the Oncology ward. She then came to work at South Steyne Medical Centre and more recently Medtronic.
Colleagues from South Steyne described Phoebe as a “true friend to us all.”
“She always walked into work with a smile on her face, no matter how she was feeling. We’d always start the week finding out which hen party or wedding she had been to that weekend,” her co-workers recalled.
“We were always shocked at how someone could have so many friends! But then again, it’s Phoebe, one of the most loveable people. We’d laugh every day because she’d always start and leave work with her full water bottle. It was always impossible getting hold of her outside of work, she was the worst at replying to messages, although she claimed that she was getting much better. Phoebe was adored by all patients and staff, and will be greatly missed.”
Phoebe’s husband Tim is a keen sailor, even participating in the Sydney to Hobart with the Quest sailing team, with whom both the pair are close.
“Phoebe loved sailing with us around the harbour and when Tim took on offshore sailing races, Phoebe was always on the dock with her infectious smile, waiting for his safe return. Phoebe’s passing is a devastating shock to our team and the wider Quest family and sailing community,” they shared.
The nurse was raised on cattle properties in regional Queensland and NSW, and attended boarding school in Toowoomba and Brisbane where she made lifelong friends who are still her beloved to this day.
Finishing school in Brisbane 2009, she went on to volunteer with children in Kenya 2010 before completing her nursing degree at UTS. She began her career as a nurse at Sydney’s RPA hospital.
Phoebe’s parents live in Orange, NSW and her older sister and brother are in Sydney.
We are told they are an extremely tight knit family, and she leaves behind three beautiful nieces and nephews that she loved beyond everything.
Her life was celebrated by 450 friends and family from all over the world at Manly on Saturday.
Our deepest condolences for those grieving this heavy loss.
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