January 27, 2025 • 10 mins
On Saturday, Neale Daniher AO became the 2025 Australian of the Year. Daniher, who was an AFL player and captain, was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) in 2013. Since then, he's gone on to co-found FightMND, an organisation which has raised over $115 million for research into finding a cure for MND. In today's podcast, we explain more about who Daniher who, and what he's achieved over the last decade. You can find out more about FightMND here.
Hosts: Zara Seidler and Sam Koslowski
Producer: Orla Maher
Want to support The Daily Aus? That's so kind! The best way to do that is to click ‘follow’ on Spotify or Apple and to leave us a five-star review. We would be so grateful.
The Daily Aus is a media company focused on delivering accessible and digestible news to young people. We are completely independent.
Want more from TDA?
Subscribe to The Daily Aus newsletter
Subscribe to The Daily Aus’ YouTube Channel
Have feedback for us?
We’re always looking for new ways to improve what we do. If you’ve got feedback, we’re all ears. Tell us here.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Already and this is the daily This is the daily,
This is the Daily OS. Oh, now it makes sense.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Good morning and welcome to the Daily OS. It's Tuesday,
the twenty eighth of January.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
I'm Zara, I'm Sam. I am delighted to announce at
the twoenty and twenty five Australian at the Year is
Neil Danaher.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Over the weekend, Neil Danaher became the twenty twenty five
Australian of the Year. Now. Danaher is the co founder
of Fight M and D, which is a charity that
has raised and invested more than one hundred and fifteen
million dollars into medical research to help find a cure
for modor neurone disease.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
It was a really incredible group of Australians who were
nominated for this award, but I was hoping it was
going to be Neil Danaher, and I think that sentiment
was shared with a lot of Australians.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Our comment section was anything to go by getting behind him.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
He's a really popular choice for Australian of the Year.
Can you tell me a little bit about who he is?
Speaker 2 (01:06):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (01:06):
Of course.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
So Neil Danaher first Rose to prominence as an AFL player.
He played more than eighty games for Essendon, finishing up
with the side in the early nineties. He later transitioned
into coaching, leading the D's or the Melbourne Demons from
nineteen ninety eight to two thousand and seven. In twenty thirteen,
Danaher was diagnosed with M and D. So, when we
(01:29):
talk about moder neurone disease, M and D is just
the shortened version of that. I was reading some of
the reporting from the time when he was diagnosed, and
Danahers said that he first realized that something was wrong
when he was starting to struggle while hanging the washing up.
He thought that he was just weak with his hands
and thought that he just had to strengthen the muscles.
Of course, you know, it turned out to be M
(01:51):
and D, but at the time he didn't really understand
what was happening.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
So tell me a little bit more about MND, because
since he's diagnosis, he's been focused on trying to work
out a way to help others with M and D.
Give me a sense of the medical explanation.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Yeah, So, M and D is the name given to
a group of diseases in which the nerve cells controlling
the muscles that allow us to move, to speak, to
swallow and Breathe basically failed to work normally and then
they eventually die those muscles so with no nerves to
activate them, the muscles gradually weaken over a period of
time and waste. So every day two people in this
(02:31):
country in Australia are diagnosed with M and D. The
speed at which M and D progresses is different for
each person and survival time also varies, but the average
life expectancy for someone with M and D is twenty
seven months from diagnosis.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
Which is remarkable considering Neil Danaher was diagnosed over.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
A decade exactly, so he has defied all odds. Twenty
seven months is the average life expectancy. As you said,
he was diagnosed over a decade go. But it is
really important to highlight here that there is no cure
for M and D.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
It is terminal and that's central to the work he's
doing right.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
Yes, So, Neil Danaher co founded Fight M and D
in twenty fourteen to raise awareness and to raise funds
for M and D. In a speech a few years ago,
Danha explained why Fight M and D was created in
the first place.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
Well, why do it is that I can't accept? Right now?
There's nine toment All kill not well, what can I
do now?
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Since it's creation, the organization has invested more than one
hundred and fifteen million dollars into M and D.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
Research, So serious money it is.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
And if you're racking your brain as to why you
have heard of Fight M and D before, it's I
think because the biggest fundraising event for the organization is
what's called the Big Freeze. Now, Sam, you can probably
explain this better than I can, But as someone that
dips in and out of AFL and I'm across this
because it's such a big date in the calendar. Essentially,
(04:04):
it's when the Demons, which is the team that Danaher
was coaching, the Demons play Collingwood. It's a clash that's
hosted annually on the King's Birthday. And there at that game,
at the MCG Big Freeze beanies are sold. You might
recognize the blue Blue exactly, and then high profile Ossie's
dress up and slide down the Big Freeze, slide into
(04:27):
a freezing cold ice bath. And all of this is
done in the name of fundraising for M and D,
but it's also a really beautiful, big, happy occasion where
you know, people bring out their silly side and it's
all done for this really good reason, and that all
goes to what Neil Danher's whole life has really been
dedicated to since his diagnosis over a decade ago, which
(04:48):
is trying to raise funds and raise awareness for this
disease that he battles with every single day. He calls
it the beast, and so in a lot of the
comms by Fight M and D, it's referred to as
this capital be beast that Neil Danaher is trying to
destroy for others and for himself.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
One of the remarkable moments of the Big Freeze every
year is when Neil Danaher himself often says thank you
or says a speech to the crowd. And it has
proved to be a bit of a kind of a
point on the timeline of Danaher's struggle with M and D,
because as a viewer, you can see his condition worse
(05:27):
and over the years at the time where he's in
front of one hundred thousand people, but he's there every
year doing his best and over the weekend he was
honored for this tireless work he was.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
So the annual Australian of the Year Awards took place
on Saturday night. A reminder that last year's Australian of
the Year was jointly awarded to both Richard Scollier and
Georgina Long, who we've both had on this podcast separately.
That was to recognize their groundbreaking research into melanoma treatments.
And the way that the Australian of the Year Awards
work is that each state and territory is represented by
(05:59):
a different nominee. I just thought that we might quickly
run through who the other nominees were because it's just
such a crowded space of incredible Australians doing credible things
each and every day. I'll go through them now. So
the NT's nominee was Grant Nolmya Nundiri Butller, who's a
musician from the number one community in Arnham Land. Then
(06:19):
the act's nominee was Megan Gilmore. She's the co founder
and CEO of not for profit Missing School and that
organization supports children who are too sick to attend class.
In Queensland, the nominee was Jeffrey Smith. He's the co
founder and CEO of Australian Spatial Analytics, which is a
data processing company primarily hiring young neurodivergent people. Over in
(06:42):
South Australia, the nominee was Professor Leah Bromfield. She's the
director of the Australian Center for Child's Protection. In Wa,
there was a joint nomination for Diane and Ian Haggerty,
who are both farmers working to support biodiversity and save
water on their land in the state's wheat belt. In Tazzi,
the nominee was Sam Elson. He's the founder of sea Forest,
(07:04):
which is a startup turning seaweed into methane, reducing additive
for cow and sheep food. Got the things these people
are doing. And then in New South Wales the nominee
was Kath Koschel, who's the founder of not for profit
Kindness Factory, which runs educational programs for school students about
the power of kindness. And then at the end there,
(07:24):
of course, Victoria's nominee was Neil Danaher who ultimately won.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
On the night, Let's just take a moment to actually
think about that list that you rattled off. Those are
some incredible Australians doing really interesting and diverse work. And
it definitely gives me a lot of hope for defut.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
Very welcome good news.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
Yeah, definitely. And so all of these nominees were there
in Canberra on Saturday nights. Danaher was the winner. What
did we hear from Danaher after he won?
Speaker 3 (07:52):
So?
Speaker 2 (07:53):
M and D has gradually over time affected Danaher's ability
to speak. So he's at this point I believe, unable
to speak. So he accepted his award with a pre
recorded speech, and in this speech he said of M
and D, it doesn't discriminate. It robs you and your
ability to move, speak, swallow, and eventually breathe. But it
(08:15):
did something else too. It lit a fire within me,
a determination to fight for those who are currently affected
and those who will face it after me. I choose
to fight because if I didn't, how could I expect
anyone else to. On his efforts to fundraise, he said
that M and D is not incurable, but that it's
just underfunded and misunderstood. He said that with focus, funding
(08:37):
and unwavering determination, we can change that in this country.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
And then less than twenty four hours later he emerged
onto the court just before the men's final at the
Australian Open to some of the most deafening applause that
I'm sure we've seen at the tournament, and I think
it really gave an indication that despite the challenges he's facing,
he really wants to be a very prominent Australian of
the year and get out there and educate Australians on
M and D and his courtse.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
And just thinking about the last decade what he's been
able to achieve, that he has truly changed the face
and the landscape in this country when it comes to
M and D forever. He has raised so much awareness
and you know we refer to that one hundred and
fifteen million dollars like that is game changing. I was,
when I was putting together this podcast, was watching old
videos of Neil downaher and I just wanted to end
(09:24):
on something that he said when he was delivering a
speech to the Melbourne Demons back in twenty seventeen. You
should go and find the speech on YouTube because the
whole thing is so inspiring that there was something that
he said that's really stuck with me, and I thought
we could end on this note. So here is Neil
Danahert speaking to the Melbourne Demons in twenty seventeen.
Speaker 3 (09:43):
There's a sign when all said and done, more said
than done, and the mark of a person and not
what they say, that's what they do.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
An incredible Australian of the year. I can't wait see
what he achieves this year, and of course it will
culminate in the Big Freeze in May. We're going to
throw a link to Fight M and D in today's
show notes so that you can find a little bit
more information on MND or donate some funds to help
contribute towards finding a cure to the beast. That's all
we've got time for today, though we'll be back in
(10:19):
the afternoon with some headlines. Until then, have a great date.
My name is Lily Maddon and I'm a proud Arunda
Bunjelung Calcotin woman from Gadighl Country.
Speaker 3 (10:32):
The Daily oz acknowledges that this podcast is recorded on
the lands of the Gadighl people and pays respect to
all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island and nations.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
We pay our respects to the first peoples of these countries,
both past and present
Already and this is the daily This is the daily,
This is the Daily OS. Oh, now it makes sense.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Good morning and welcome to the Daily OS. It's Tuesday,
the twenty eighth of January.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
I'm Zara, I'm Sam. I am delighted to announce at
the twoenty and twenty five Australian at the Year is
Neil Danaher.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Over the weekend, Neil Danaher became the twenty twenty five
Australian of the Year. Now. Danaher is the co founder
of Fight M and D, which is a charity that
has raised and invested more than one hundred and fifteen
million dollars into medical research to help find a cure
for modor neurone disease.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
It was a really incredible group of Australians who were
nominated for this award, but I was hoping it was
going to be Neil Danaher, and I think that sentiment
was shared with a lot of Australians.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Our comment section was anything to go by getting behind him.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
He's a really popular choice for Australian of the Year.
Can you tell me a little bit about who he is?
Speaker 2 (01:06):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (01:06):
Of course.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
So Neil Danaher first Rose to prominence as an AFL player.
He played more than eighty games for Essendon, finishing up
with the side in the early nineties. He later transitioned
into coaching, leading the D's or the Melbourne Demons from
nineteen ninety eight to two thousand and seven. In twenty thirteen,
Danaher was diagnosed with M and D. So, when we
(01:29):
talk about moder neurone disease, M and D is just
the shortened version of that. I was reading some of
the reporting from the time when he was diagnosed, and
Danahers said that he first realized that something was wrong
when he was starting to struggle while hanging the washing up.
He thought that he was just weak with his hands
and thought that he just had to strengthen the muscles.
Of course, you know, it turned out to be M
(01:51):
and D, but at the time he didn't really understand
what was happening.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
So tell me a little bit more about MND, because
since he's diagnosis, he's been focused on trying to work
out a way to help others with M and D.
Give me a sense of the medical explanation.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Yeah, So, M and D is the name given to
a group of diseases in which the nerve cells controlling
the muscles that allow us to move, to speak, to
swallow and Breathe basically failed to work normally and then
they eventually die those muscles so with no nerves to
activate them, the muscles gradually weaken over a period of
time and waste. So every day two people in this
(02:31):
country in Australia are diagnosed with M and D. The
speed at which M and D progresses is different for
each person and survival time also varies, but the average
life expectancy for someone with M and D is twenty
seven months from diagnosis.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
Which is remarkable considering Neil Danaher was diagnosed over.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
A decade exactly, so he has defied all odds. Twenty
seven months is the average life expectancy. As you said,
he was diagnosed over a decade go. But it is
really important to highlight here that there is no cure
for M and D.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
It is terminal and that's central to the work he's
doing right.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
Yes, So, Neil Danaher co founded Fight M and D
in twenty fourteen to raise awareness and to raise funds
for M and D. In a speech a few years ago,
Danha explained why Fight M and D was created in
the first place.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
Well, why do it is that I can't accept? Right now?
There's nine toment All kill not well, what can I
do now?
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Since it's creation, the organization has invested more than one
hundred and fifteen million dollars into M and D.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
Research, So serious money it is.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
And if you're racking your brain as to why you
have heard of Fight M and D before, it's I
think because the biggest fundraising event for the organization is
what's called the Big Freeze. Now, Sam, you can probably
explain this better than I can, But as someone that
dips in and out of AFL and I'm across this
because it's such a big date in the calendar. Essentially,
(04:04):
it's when the Demons, which is the team that Danaher
was coaching, the Demons play Collingwood. It's a clash that's
hosted annually on the King's Birthday. And there at that game,
at the MCG Big Freeze beanies are sold. You might
recognize the blue Blue exactly, and then high profile Ossie's
dress up and slide down the Big Freeze, slide into
(04:27):
a freezing cold ice bath. And all of this is
done in the name of fundraising for M and D,
but it's also a really beautiful, big, happy occasion where
you know, people bring out their silly side and it's
all done for this really good reason, and that all
goes to what Neil Danher's whole life has really been
dedicated to since his diagnosis over a decade ago, which
(04:48):
is trying to raise funds and raise awareness for this
disease that he battles with every single day. He calls
it the beast, and so in a lot of the
comms by Fight M and D, it's referred to as
this capital be beast that Neil Danaher is trying to
destroy for others and for himself.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
One of the remarkable moments of the Big Freeze every
year is when Neil Danaher himself often says thank you
or says a speech to the crowd. And it has
proved to be a bit of a kind of a
point on the timeline of Danaher's struggle with M and D,
because as a viewer, you can see his condition worse
(05:27):
and over the years at the time where he's in
front of one hundred thousand people, but he's there every
year doing his best and over the weekend he was
honored for this tireless work he was.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
So the annual Australian of the Year Awards took place
on Saturday night. A reminder that last year's Australian of
the Year was jointly awarded to both Richard Scollier and
Georgina Long, who we've both had on this podcast separately.
That was to recognize their groundbreaking research into melanoma treatments.
And the way that the Australian of the Year Awards
work is that each state and territory is represented by
(05:59):
a different nominee. I just thought that we might quickly
run through who the other nominees were because it's just
such a crowded space of incredible Australians doing credible things
each and every day. I'll go through them now. So
the NT's nominee was Grant Nolmya Nundiri Butller, who's a
musician from the number one community in Arnham Land. Then
(06:19):
the act's nominee was Megan Gilmore. She's the co founder
and CEO of not for profit Missing School and that
organization supports children who are too sick to attend class.
In Queensland, the nominee was Jeffrey Smith. He's the co
founder and CEO of Australian Spatial Analytics, which is a
data processing company primarily hiring young neurodivergent people. Over in
(06:42):
South Australia, the nominee was Professor Leah Bromfield. She's the
director of the Australian Center for Child's Protection. In Wa,
there was a joint nomination for Diane and Ian Haggerty,
who are both farmers working to support biodiversity and save
water on their land in the state's wheat belt. In Tazzi,
the nominee was Sam Elson. He's the founder of sea Forest,
(07:04):
which is a startup turning seaweed into methane, reducing additive
for cow and sheep food. Got the things these people
are doing. And then in New South Wales the nominee
was Kath Koschel, who's the founder of not for profit
Kindness Factory, which runs educational programs for school students about
the power of kindness. And then at the end there,
(07:24):
of course, Victoria's nominee was Neil Danaher who ultimately won.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
On the night, Let's just take a moment to actually
think about that list that you rattled off. Those are
some incredible Australians doing really interesting and diverse work. And
it definitely gives me a lot of hope for defut.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
Very welcome good news.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
Yeah, definitely. And so all of these nominees were there
in Canberra on Saturday nights. Danaher was the winner. What
did we hear from Danaher after he won?
Speaker 3 (07:52):
So?
Speaker 2 (07:53):
M and D has gradually over time affected Danaher's ability
to speak. So he's at this point I believe, unable
to speak. So he accepted his award with a pre
recorded speech, and in this speech he said of M
and D, it doesn't discriminate. It robs you and your
ability to move, speak, swallow, and eventually breathe. But it
(08:15):
did something else too. It lit a fire within me,
a determination to fight for those who are currently affected
and those who will face it after me. I choose
to fight because if I didn't, how could I expect
anyone else to. On his efforts to fundraise, he said
that M and D is not incurable, but that it's
just underfunded and misunderstood. He said that with focus, funding
(08:37):
and unwavering determination, we can change that in this country.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
And then less than twenty four hours later he emerged
onto the court just before the men's final at the
Australian Open to some of the most deafening applause that
I'm sure we've seen at the tournament, and I think
it really gave an indication that despite the challenges he's facing,
he really wants to be a very prominent Australian of
the year and get out there and educate Australians on
M and D and his courtse.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
And just thinking about the last decade what he's been
able to achieve, that he has truly changed the face
and the landscape in this country when it comes to
M and D forever. He has raised so much awareness
and you know we refer to that one hundred and
fifteen million dollars like that is game changing. I was,
when I was putting together this podcast, was watching old
videos of Neil downaher and I just wanted to end
(09:24):
on something that he said when he was delivering a
speech to the Melbourne Demons back in twenty seventeen. You
should go and find the speech on YouTube because the
whole thing is so inspiring that there was something that
he said that's really stuck with me, and I thought
we could end on this note. So here is Neil
Danahert speaking to the Melbourne Demons in twenty seventeen.
Speaker 3 (09:43):
There's a sign when all said and done, more said
than done, and the mark of a person and not
what they say, that's what they do.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
An incredible Australian of the year. I can't wait see
what he achieves this year, and of course it will
culminate in the Big Freeze in May. We're going to
throw a link to Fight M and D in today's
show notes so that you can find a little bit
more information on MND or donate some funds to help
contribute towards finding a cure to the beast. That's all
we've got time for today, though we'll be back in
(10:19):
the afternoon with some headlines. Until then, have a great date.
My name is Lily Maddon and I'm a proud Arunda
Bunjelung Calcotin woman from Gadighl Country.
Speaker 3 (10:32):
The Daily oz acknowledges that this podcast is recorded on
the lands of the Gadighl people and pays respect to
all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island and nations.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
We pay our respects to the first peoples of these countries,
both past and present
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.