By Callum Godde
Australian rules football great Neale Daniher turned motor neurone disease cure campaigner is Victoria’s 2025 Australian of the Year.
The Essendon 82-gamer and FightMND co-founder received the honour at a ceremony at the Melbourne Arts Centre on Friday night.
Daniher has been named Victoria’s 2025. Australian of the Year.Credit: AFL Photos va Getty Images
Soprano and actor Deborah Cheetham, activist against sexual extortion and suicide Wayne Holdsworth and young carer champion Madeleine Buchner had also been nominated for the accolade.
Daniher, who also coached the Melbourne Demons to the 2000 AFL grand final among 223 games at the helm, was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) in 2013.
The insidious killer, which he calls “the Beast”, gradually takes away a person’s use of their arms and legs, ability to eat and swallow, speech and finally their ability to breathe, in an average time frame of 27 months.
Daniher helped set up the charity in 2014 and has raised millions to find effective treatments and ultimately a cure for MND, including through the annual Big Freeze at The G clash between Melbourne and Collingwood.
Despite losing his speech, the 63-year-old was on hand in June 2024 to watch celebrities partake in the tradition of sliding down into icy water to raise funds.
Sports medicine leader and health campaigner Peter Brukner was recognised as the 2025 Senior Australian of the Year for Victoria.
Brukner, 72, founded Australia’s largest sports medicine centre at Olympic Park and established the world-leading La Trobe Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre.
After his own health issues, the former Australian cricket team and Liverpool Football Club team doctor turned his focus towards obesity and chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes.
Victoria’s Young Australian of the Year is Aishwarya Kansakar, an entrepreneur in AI and automation and innovator in STEM education.
Raised amid Nepal’s civil war, the multilingual 29-year-old survived an arson attack at school but went on to teach herself computing, launching her career.
Women’s football advocate Jasmine Hirst, 50, is Victoria’s Local Hero for her work creating Australia’s biggest soccer program for girls and women.
Other confirmed nominees for the 2025 Australian of the Year so far are child protection expert Leah Bromfield (SA), climate solutions innovator Sam Elsom (Tasmania), and musician and cultural ambassador Grant Ngulmiya Nundhirribala (NT).
The winners of the national awards will be unveiled on January 25.
AAP
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