WINNER OF THE ABIA BIOGRAPHY BOOK OF THE YEAR 2020
A wise man said, 'Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.'I understand the wisdom of this - right now, I don't have much 'forwards' left.
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 condition. He had a choice. He could spend his remaining time focused 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 New South Wales, the third of eleven children. He battled injury during his football career with Essendon, then jumped on the coaching rollercoaster, leading Melbourne for a decade. As general manager of football operations, he was part of the 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 $40 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 & 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 our time on this earth matter.
About the Author
NEALE DANIHER AM was born in 1961 in Ungarie, a tiny town in New South Wales, the third of eleven children. A talented all-round sportsman, Neale's passion was Australian Rules; he played for Essendon Football Club in a promising but injury-plagued career between 1979 and 1990. He was part of the famous Daniher football dynasty: four brothers from the bush who played a combined 752 VFL/AFL games.
In football, his off-field achievements are in coaching at Essendon, Fremantle and Melbourne football clubs, as inaugural CEO of the AFL Coaches Association, and as general manager of football operations with the West Coast Eagles.
Neale co-founded FightMND in 2014 after he was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease. The foundation raises awareness and vital funds for research to find a cure and better treatment for 'The Beast' that takes two lives every day in Australia.
Neale was originally awarded a Member of the Order of Australia for his tireless work in co-founding FightMND in 2016, in 2021 he was elevated to Officer of the Order of Australia. The Big Freeze highlights the former Dons Captain's unflagging determination to find a cure for motor neurone disease, having raised $50 million for treatment research since 2014. An 81-gamer with the Bombers from 1979-1990 and club Hall of Fame inductee, Neale has been a key figure in leading the FightMND campaign in helping educate the public and driving fundraising initiatives for curing MND.
In 2016, Neale received a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) award for services to community health and to Australian Rules football.
He and his wife, Jan, live in Melbourne and are the proud parents of Lauren, Luke, Bec and Ben.
WARWICK GREEN is a freelance writer. He has been a journalist and sports editor with The Age, the Sunday Age and News Corp. He co-wrote bestsellers My Story with Jim Stynes and Pushing the Limits with Kurt Fearnley. Warwick lives in Melbourne with Tif and their three children Jock, Lex and Samantha.
