Here at The Daily Aus, we’re always looking for good news to cut through the heaviness of the everyday news cycle. That’s why as soon as the 2025 Australian of the Year was announced last week, I knew we had to dedicate this weekend’s newsletter to him.

Neale Daniher AO is an extraordinary human being. Faced with a rare neurodegenerative disorder, he has spent the last decade trying to change motor neurone disease (MND) from being an incurable diagnosis to a curable one.

Today, we’ll tell you more about Neale’s story, his fight against MND and his hopes for the future.

Born in a small town in the Central West region of NSW in 1961, Neale Daniher made his AFL debut for Essendon in 1979. By 1990, four Daniher brothers played with the side. In September of that year, Neale, Terry, Anthony and Chris Daniher became the first quartet of brothers to play in an AFL game together. Fun fact: Neale’s nephew Joe also played for Essendon. Clearly, there’s something in the Daniher water!

After 82 games and an injury-plagued playing career, Neale transitioned to coaching. He led the Melbourne Demons as senior coach from 1998 to 2007. I’ve been told on good authority (my partner is a diehard Dees man) that Neale was a deeply respected coach who transformed the team.

In 2013, Neale was diagnosed with motor neurone disease. Reporting from the time suggests that Neale first realised something was wrong when he started to struggle while hanging the washing up.

Neale’s experience of struggling with the washing is a common one for those who live with MND. MND is the name given to a group of diseases that impact the nerves known as motor neurones (found in the brain and spinal cord).

When someone has MND, messages from the motor neurons stop reaching the muscles over time. This causes those muscles to gradually weaken and stop working, impacting a person’s ability to move, speak, swallow and breathe.

In reading about MND I came across a striking quote. Professor Dominic Rowe, who specialises in MND, told the Sydney Morning Herald: “If you were to design the cruellest of diseases imaginable, this would be it’.

He added: "It robs you of your ability to walk, to use your hands, wipe your bum, scratch your nose, swallow, hug your loved ones. Yet it leaves intact all your intellect and your special senses – sight, hearing, smell – so you're able to watch your body waste away."

According to MND Australia, every day in Australia, two people are diagnosed with MND and two people die from the disease.

It’s important to highlight here that there is currently no cure for MND. The speed at which MND progresses can be different for each person but the average life expectancy is 27 months from diagnosis.

Neale Daniher has been living with MND for over a decade.

“I can’t accept that there’s no treatment or cure…and that drives me to say: What can I do about it?”

That’s what Neale told a crowded Melbourne Demons locker room when explaining his decision to dedicate his life to raising funds and awareness for MND. In 2014, Neale co-founded FightMND, which has raised and invested more than $115 million into MND research.

The biggest fundraising event for FightMND is the AFL’s Big Freeze, which occurs during the annual Demons v Collingwood clash on the King’s Birthday long weekend at the MCG. There, Big Freeze beanies are sold and high-profile Aussies dress up and slide down the Big Freeze slide into an ice bath - all in the name of fundraising for MND.

During his pre-recorded acceptance speech at the Australian of the Year Awards last week, Neale said: “Our vision is simple. A world without MND. Some may call it a dream, but I don’t believe it is an impossible one. This disease is not incurable. It is simply underfunded and misunderstood.”

It’s this motivation that has pushed the AFL great to continue advocating for the cause, despite the progression of his disease.

Neale’s tireless efforts since being diagnosed with MND were recognised last week, when he was named the 2025 Australian of the Year (AOTY).

It was a crowded field of exceptionally talented and transformative leaders, including:

Neale said he was “deeply honoured to accept the title” of AOTY, which he said belongs to “the entire MND community,” and his family, including his wife Jan and their four kids ”who have supported me every step of the way.”

“In my lifetime, I hope we find the causes of MND, better treatments, and ultimately, a cure. Beyond that, I hope to leave a legacy that shows we all have the power to choose to fight, to smile, and to act,” he said.

I want to end this newsletter with something Neale shared that I haven’t stopped thinking about all week. A few years back, he said: “When all is said and done, more is said than done.”

When discussing his determination “to fight for those affected [by MND] now and in the future,” this week, Neale echoed that sentiment once more: “The mark of a person isn’t what they say; it’s what they do.”

This worthy Australian of the Year recipient is carving out a legacy of action and change, as he remains fiercely committed to finding a cure for MND.

As Essendon Football Club said of its Hall of Famer being named AOTY: “This prestigious award is a testament to Neale's unwavering courage, his tireless advocacy, and his profound impact on the fight against Motor Neurone Disease.”

Money ins and outs for 2025: 

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Outs:

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On today's good news wrap up, we discuss the surging electric vehicle sales in Norway, the latest cricketer to make the sporting Hall of Fame, the growth of India's tiger population and a good news story from the community.

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