Australian of the Year Neale Daniher's country roots run deep

It came as no shock to many when Neale Daniher was named 2025 Australian of the Year.

His work in raising money for Motor Neurone Disease (MND) research has resulted in a more than $100 million war chest being raised to battle the degenerative disease, a disease he has been fighting since 2013.

What you might not know about the true Aussie battler, is that his journey began in the Riverina.

Born in West Wyalong to parents James “Jim” Daniher and Edna Daniher on 15 February 1961, Neale spent a lot of his early years in the Riverina town of Ungarie. He attended St Joseph’s Catholic School and it was here that he discovered his love for sport.

Neale originally split his time between playing Aussie rules football for Ungarie in the Northern Riverina Football League and rugby league for St Joseph’s. Despite moving to Goulburn for his high school education, Neale continued to stay loyal to Ungarie Football Club before he was drafted to the Essendon Football Club in the VFL/AFL in 1978 at 17.

Neale finished his schooling in Kilmore before debuting for the Bombers in the VFL.

Building a solid reputation as a rebounding half-backman, Neale quickly became a favourite among the Essendon faithful, playing almost every game in his first three seasons and winning the club’s best and fairest in 1981. In 1982, Neale was eventually given the captaincy of the famous club, at just 21.

Tragically for Neale, upon his appointment as captain he only managed 16 more games, as a string of knee injuries caused him to retire prematurely.

His love affair with AFL football didn’t finish with his playing career though as his expert vision and breaking down of plays were called on as coach of the Melbourne Demons Football Club.

Neale coached 223 games for the club between 1998 and 2007 with the highlight of his coaching career coming in 2000, when he took the Demons to the grand final, in which they were defeated by his former team, the Bombers.

Upon retiring from coaching in 2007, Neale transitioned to an off-field role as the general manager of football operations for the West Coast Eagles, until his diagnosis in 2013.

“The journey began for me in 2013 when I was diagnosed with motor neurone disease — a beast of a disease,” Daniher said during his Australian of the Year acceptance speech.

“It doesn’t discriminate; it robs you of your ability to move, speak, swallow, and eventually breathe. But it 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.

“When I was diagnosed back in 2013, 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.

“I chose to fight because if I didn’t, how could I expect anyone else to? I chose to hope because I believe in the decency and generosity of Australians. I thought, if people truly understood the challenges we face, they’d join the fight with me.

“Together, we’ve built a movement. Since 2014, we’ve raised over $115 million for care and medical research, supported clinical trials across the country, and developed new drugs that offer hope. More than that, we’ve shown people living with MND that they are not alone.

“Our vision is simple: a world without MND. Some may call it a dream, but I don’t believe it’s an impossible one. This disease is not incurable; it’s simply underfunded and misunderstood. With focus, funding, and unwavering determination, we can change that.”

Despite his deteriorating motor function, Neale has continued to be a presence in the AFL, founding the Big Freeze beanie campaign and the annual charity fixture between Melbourne Demons and Collingwood Magpies during the King’s Birthday long weekend.

Neale has always been recognised as a boy from the bush and his parting message from the Australian of the Year ceremony was one reminding people they can do anything regardless of their upbringing or condition.

“In my lifetime, I hope we find the underlying causes of MND, better treatments, and, ultimately, a cure,” he said.

“But beyond that, I hope to leave a legacy that says this: no matter the odds, no matter the diagnosis, we all have the power to choose to fight, to choose our attitude, to choose to smile, and to choose to do something.

“Because the mark of a person isn’t what they say. It’s what they do.

“I am grateful and honoured to be Australian of the Year, and I know that this nomination will help grow awareness for our cause so that together, as Australians, we can continue this fight against the beast and one day achieve our vision – a world without MND.”

Original Article published by Jarryd Rowley on Region Riverina.