The AFL legend, who has been fighting motor neurone disease for more than a decade and has raised more than $100 million towards a cure, has been awarded the prestigious prize.
The AFL legend, who has been fighting motor neurone disease for more than a decade and has raised more than $100 million towards a cure, has been awarded the prestigious prize.
By Millie Muroi
January 25, 2025 — 7.42pm
An AFL legend fighting motor neurone disease, who has raised more than $100 million towards finding a cure for the degenerative condition, has been named the 2025 Australian of the Year.
Former Essendon champion and Melbourne coach Neale Daniher, AO, has been battling the effects of motor neurone disease – a condition which progressively damages nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord responsible for controling muscles – for more than a decade.
He was named the Australian of the Year award by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at a ceremony in Canberra on Saturday night.
Following his diagnosis in 2013, Daniher co-founded FightMND, a charity that has raised and invested more than $100 million for medical research to find a cure for the disease.
“When I was diagnosed, there was a small but dedicated research community, but we needed to build our capacity if we were serious about taking the fight to MND,” he said.
“So a highlight for me is how we have steadily built that capacity. Without a dedicated and robust research community, we won’t get the breakthroughs we are after.”
The 63-year-old Victorian has long defied the average life expectancy of 27 months following diagnosis, and continues to campaign for a cure and raise awareness about MND, even in the advanced stages of the disease.
Speaking ahead of the awards ceremony on Saturday, Daniher, who was born in regional NSW, said he would have to pinch himself if he was named Australian of the Year.
Advertisement
“The boy from outback Australia, from a small town called Ungarie, named Australian of the Year, who would have thought,” he said.
“It’s a great honour which allows a terrific platform to thank everyone across Australia that has supported our cause, because without them, I would never have been nominated.”
Daniher was Essendon’s youngest-ever captain at the age of 20, senior coach of Melbourne from 1998 to 2007, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame at both clubs.
Brother Thomas Oliver Pickett AM, co-founder of Wheelchairs For Kids – a charity providing adjustable wheelchairs and occupational therapy expertise for children, free of charge – was named Senior Australian of the Year. He is from Western Australia.
Dr Katrina Wruck, a proud Mabuigilaig and Goemulgal woman from Queensland who has long advocated for First Nations knowledge, was awarded Young Australian of the Year for her research and work on breaking down dangerous ‘forever chemicals’ into benign ones.
Vanessa Brettell and Hannah Costell, from the ACT, were awarded Australia’s Local Heroes of the Year for their business, Cafe Stepping Stone, which operates as a social enterprise employing women mostly from migrant and refugee backgrounds and others who experience significant barriers to employment.
Millie Muroi is the economics writer at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, based in Canberra. She was formerly the banking writer based in Sydney.Connect via Twitter or email.
Loading