2025 Australian of the Year Neale Daniher AO

Australian Community Media

The 2025 Australian of the Year is Neale Daniher AO, the co-founder of FightMND and former Australian Rules footballer. ACM is proud to be a media partner for the 2025 Australian of the Year Awards.

Transcript

00:00All Australian of the Year nominees prepare a speech just in case they receive the National

00:08Award.

00:09Neil recorded an audio version of his acceptance remarks, which will now play.

00:15Ladies, gentlemen and special guests, thank you.

00:21I sit here tonight deeply honoured to accept the title of Australian of the Year 2025.

00:28This recognition isn't just for me.

00:31It belongs to the entire MND community, the families, the carers, the researchers, the

00:38volunteers, all those at the Fife MND Foundation and MND State Associations and the countless

00:46Australians who have joined us in this fight.

00:50It also belongs to my family, headed by my wife Jan and our children and their partners,

00:56who have been with me every step of the way on this challenging journey.

01:01The journey began for me in 2013 when I was diagnosed with motor neurone disease, a beast

01:08of a disease.

01:10It doesn't discriminate.

01:12It robs you of your ability to move, speak, swallow and eventually breathe.

01:19But it did something else too.

01:22It lit a fire within me, a determination to fight for those who are currently affected

01:27and those who will face it after me.

01:30I chose to fight because if I didn't, how could I expect anyone else to?

01:36I chose to hope because I believe in the decency and generosity of Australians.

01:43I thought, if people truly understood the challenges we face, they'd join the fight

01:48with me.

01:50And you have.

01:51Oh, how you have.

01:54So again, I thank you.

01:56Together, we have built a movement.

02:00Since 2014, we have raised over $115 million for care and medical research, supported clinical

02:09trials across the country and developed new drugs that offer hope.

02:15More than that, we have shown people living with MND that they are not alone.

02:20Our vision is simple, a world without MND.

02:24Some may call it a dream, but I don't believe it's an impossible one.

02:30This disease is not incurable.

02:33It's simply underfunded and misunderstood.

02:36With focus, funding and unwavering determination, we can change that.

02:43So tonight, I ask you to imagine.

02:47Imagine unlocking the mysteries of the neurological frontier right here in Australia.

02:53Imagine a world where families don't lose their loved ones to this cruel disease.

02:59And imagine the power of what we can achieve together when we each take small steps to

03:04make a difference.

03:06To everyone who has bought a beanie, donate a dollar, or spread the word.

03:13You are proof that when Australians unite, nothing is impossible.

03:18In my lifetime, I hope we find the underlying causes of MND, better treatments and, ultimately,

03:27a cure.

03:29But beyond that, I hope to leave a legacy that says this, no matter the odds, no matter

03:35the diagnosis, we all have the power to choose to fight, to choose our attitude, to choose

03:42to smile, and to choose to do something.

03:46Because the mark of a person isn't what they say, it's what they do.

03:51Tonight, I'm grateful and honoured to be Australian of the Year.

03:56I know that this nomination will help grow awareness for our cause so that together,

04:01as Australians, we can continue this fight against the beast and one day achieve our

04:07vision, a world without MND.

04:11Your 2025 Australian of the Year, Neil Danaher.

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