‘The past is over. The future isn’t promised. But what you do next is your choice for the taking. It’s where the change happens. Choose wisely.’

Neale Daniher is in his thirteenth year of living with Motor Neurone Disease. His body is broken and he can no longer speak, but his mind is sharp and his capacity to give, unvanquished.

With the terminal diagnosis came a choice: to retreat into the comfort of home and family, or to look for opportunity in the darkest of times.

Neale – a thinker, a taskmaster, a competitor – chose to fight, not just for his life but for those who will be diagnosed in the future. His tireless work with FightMND has mobilised millions of Australians to help combat the cruel killer he calls The Beast.

Neale shares with us what he wishes to pass on to his six grandkids, to help them harness the power of choice and make good decisions. Lessons on choosing your attitude, being courageous and accepting responsibility sit beside advice on practising gratitude, valuing actions over words and making the world a better place – all leading towards getting the most out of ourselves and staying in the driver’s seat of our own lives.

Written with the clarity, wisdom and huge-heartedness of a man who has chosen to dedicate his final years to the service of others, The Power of Choice is an urgent reminder to use our agency to give, to love and to make every minute count.

Neale Daniher sat down to pen a letter to the grandchildren he’ll never get to know. And then he kept on writing …

In 2013, the AFL legend was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease – a cruel and incurable disease. He knew he had a choice. He could spend his remaining time on earth focussed on himself, or he could seize the opportunity to make a better future for others.

Neale is no stranger to challenge. He grew up on a farm in remote NSW, the third of eleven children. He battled injury during his football career with Essendon in the VFL/ AFL, then jumped on the coaching rollercoaster, leading Melbourne for a decade. As general manager of football operations, he was part of West Coast Eagles’ cultural rebuild.

From the hard-won wisdom of life on the land and the love of his family, to the triumphs and gutting lows of elite football, Neale has learnt to make the most of the cards he’s been dealt – to always live with purpose and to appreciate what he has.

True to form, Neale chose to stare down the disease he calls ‘The Beast’, and in 2014 he co-founded FightMND, an organisation that has since invested over $50 million into research and care initiatives. In 2015, he became the public face of the foundation’s biggest fundraising event, The Big Freeze.

When all is Said and Done is a book of stories and wisdom from a man who has always held his beliefs to the Bunsen burner of life. Neale is unflinchingly honest, sharing a timely reminder that, even though life doesn’t promise to be fair, we all have the power to choose how to make every day count.

Neale Daniher AO is a Co-founder of FightMND, a charity that has raised and invested over $115 million into medical research to find a cure for motor neurone disease (MND). He is a former AFL player, coach and administrator who has transformed personal adversity into a powerful movement for change.

From 1979 to 1990, Neale played for Essendon Football Club, earning recognition as one of its most iconic figures. At the age of 20, he was named the Club’s youngest ever captain, a testament to his leadership and dedication. Part of the famous Daniher football dynasty – four brothers from the bush who played a combined 752 VFL/AFL games – Neale’s promising career was cut short by injuries. But the resilience he developed through facing those challenges proved invaluable later in life. He has been inducted into the Hall of Fame at both Essendon and Melbourne Football Clubs, reflecting his immense contribution to the sport. Following his playing career, Neale transitioned into coaching, leading the Melbourne Football Club as a Senior Coach from 1998 to 2007, applying his team-first philosophy to inspire players and fans alike. These experiences laid the foundation for his extraordinary ability to galvanise the community in the fight against MND.

Diagnosed with MND in 2013, Neale has faced the disease with extraordinary courage and positivity. As the face and voice of FightMND, he has remained a public figure despite his declining health, using his platform to advocate for awareness and action. The annual Big Freeze event at the MCG, where celebrities slide into freezing water to raise funds, embodies Neale’s ethos of turning hardship into a cause for celebration and hope.

Neale was named the 2025 Australian of the Year in recognition of leadership, courage and relentless drive. For Neale, this recognition isn’t just for him. It belongs to the entire MND community, his family and everyone who has joined him in the fight against the Beast.

Under Neale’s leadership, FightMND is one of the world’s largest independent funders of MND research, investing in both care and cure initiatives. His legacy is one of unwavering determination, community spirit and a refusal to let adversity define him. Neale Daniher’s story – marked by resilience, leadership and a profound ability to inspire – continues to make an indelible impact on the fight against MND, offering hope to those facing the disease and ensuring that no one faces it alone.