AFL legend Neale Daniher - who is fighting motor neurone disease for himself and every other person with the cruel affliction - was named the 2025 Australian of the Year at an emotional ceremony in Canberra on Saturday night.
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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the 2025 Australian of the Year, Senior Australian of the Year, Young Australian of the Year and Australia's Local Heroes on a balmy summer's night at the National Arboretum Canberra.
The room thundered with applause when the highest honour was announced for Mr Daniher.
He received a standing ovation from the audience which included Governor-General Sam Mostyn and former Australians of the Year from Mark Taylor (1999) to Grace Tame (2021).
Mr Daniher is co-founder of FightMND, a charity that's raised and invested more than $100 million into medical research to find a cure for motor neurone disease.
Since his diagnosis in 2013, Mr Neale has been battling the effects of the disease but remains a tireless campaigner for a cure.
He has lived his condition very publicly, even in the advanced stages of the disease, which takes sufferers' ability to move, talk, swallow and eventually breathe.
To receive his Australian of the Year award, he was accompanied to the stage by his wife, Jan. No longer able to speak, Mr Daniher prepared a pre-recorded speech with the aid of a computer.
He was "deeply honoured" and said the award belonged to the entire MND community - the families, the carers, the researchers, the volunteers, the fundraisers and donors.
"It also belongs to my family, headed by wife Jan, and our children and their partners who have been with me every step of the way on this challenging journey," he said.
2025 Australian of the Year Awards
Mr Daniher is often front and centre at FightMND's Big Freeze charity, an event held annually.
The blue Big Freeze beanies have become a staple of winter sports grounds around the nation.
A former AFL player with Essendon FC who went on to coach the Melbourne Demons, Mr Daniher implemented his team-based football experience to galvanise community and corporate support for the cause.
The now 63-year-old has lived with the debilitating disease for more than 10 years, defying the average life expectancy of just 27 months.
And he is not done yet.
"Until we find a cure, the fight will not end," he said.
Mr Daniher said MND was "a beast of a disease". It would eventually rob him of the ability to breathe. But he wasn't going to just wait for it to take him.
"It lit a fire within me, a determination to fight for those who are currently affected and those who will face it after me," he said.
"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 understand the challenges we face, they'd join the fight with me'. And you have. Oh, how you have."
Mr Daniher said he wanted to give people with MND hope and a feeling they were not alone.
In that way, the handover of the Australian of the Year was a poignant one. Last year's co-winner Professor Richard Scolyar is battling cancer but was glad to report the disease had not advanced. He and co-winner Professor Georgina Long, like Mr Daniher saw hope in medical research.
Mr Daniher dared to dream of a world without motor neuron disease.
"Some might call it a dream but I don't believe it is an impossible one," he said.
Australia's Local Heroes
Canberra's Cafe Stepping Stone co-founders Vanessa Brettell and Hannah Costello were on Saturday night named Australia's Local Heroes for 2025.
The pair set up Stepping Stone as a social enterprise to create work and provide training for women, mostly from migrant and refugee backgrounds, and others who experience significant barriers to employment.
Young Australian of the Year
Dr Katrina Wruck started the profit-for-purpose business Nguki Kula Green Labs to create "sustainable solutions for a healthier planet".
Its flagship project is the world's first reusable laundry system, which transforms low-value rocks into eco-friendly detergent.
"I was working with natural zeolite, which is a very abundant rock, and during my research, I discovered a way to turn it into zeolite LTA, which is actually the main ingredient in laundry detergent," she said.
Senior Australian of the Year
"There are so many kids in the world that need a wheelchair," Christian Brother Olly Pickett said.
Brother Olly, 84, was on Saturday night named the 2025 Senior Australian of the Year for his efforts to give those children around the world not only mobility, but dignity.
Brother Olly co-founded Wheelchairs For Kids in 1996 to provide adjustable wheelchairs and occupational therapy expertise for children in developing countries, free of charge.
