Chapter 1: What inspired the Big Freeze event?
Breakfast with Gary and team.
We are a big family here on SEM Breakfast and that's never been more evident than this morning. Thank you for your messages and great to share memories and your memories of Neil and how he's touched you and your family and family members.
And I've got a message here of a guy who's got two of his best mates have been diagnosed with MND and just how significant Neil's attitude has been in dealing with it. Neil hasn't just been a face for MND, he's been a face for hope. Life is tough and unfair, but Neil Sharon, regardless of your hard situation, never lose hope and make your path through life with determination and grace.
We'll replay the grabs off the top after seven o'clock. We've had so many people want to hear that again. Tim, the big freeze at the G has become an institutional part of the AFL calendar. It's on King's birthday, Queen's birthday initially, King's birthday now.
Chapter 2: How did Neil's diagnosis influence the Big Freeze's creation?
It is a big game between the two traditional tenants, Melbourne and Collingwood. And this year will be its biggest. I'm hoping and you're hoping that there's up near 100,000 people. It's a sea of blue. The sales of beanies are going to spike and then you go to the footy and the pre-game, of which you've been pivotal to, is a massive part of it. But how it came about is a story in and of itself.
It is. And he obviously was diagnosed with MND. He hadn't spoken about it publicly. And then he was happy to talk to me. So I flew over to Perth to do an interview with him and sat down and I learned about MND. I didn't know anything about the disease and
He told me the full story that he'd experienced to that point, and then we went for a walk in the park, and then he said that he had this idea about raising awareness and maybe raising money as an associated thing with that as well.
He sort of loosely outlined something, and I got back on the plane, and I was thinking about it on the way back, and then I got to work, and I thought, he's got this idea, but unless he gets some really powerful media support
um entities behind him this is not going to fly like you need to have something apart from a little idea and he's talking about you know the ice bucket challenge had been around so we all knew that and he had this other idea about a slide and stuff like that and i got to work uh the next day when i got back in melbourne and i went to my boss lewis martin and i said look i know you don't know neil he didn't know neil at this stage i said i know you don't know him i said this is what he is you know he's part of the den of her family he knew that you know the coaching and playing that sort of loosely
But he actually didn't know the bloke. I said he's the most authentic, down-to-earth person. He's genuine about this. I think we should try and help him in some way. I don't know how we can do it. I don't know how we can pull it together. But I think that he's got an idea, but it needs to be executed properly. And I think we've got the people at Channel 7 that can possibly do that.
So Lewis said, look, let me have a think about it. And then he called me up, I think it was the next day. He said, look, I've been having a really good think about what you said. Let's get started. I think we need to try and pull Channel 9 together. And that's where he gave you a call.
Yeah, so Neil rings me. He says, let's have a coffee. I remember in Camberwell. So I'm hosting the footy show and he sits down. He's going through the same, I imagine, conversation. And then he said, I've got this idea that I want to do this thing at the MCG. And he says, it only works if Channel 9 and Channel 7 get behind it.
And at this stage, Channel 9 and Channel 7 hated each other, mainly because of Sam, who'd take the P155 out of Channel 7.
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Chapter 3: What challenges did they face in organizing the Big Freeze?
Can you imagine the roadblocks? Oh, I know there were. I know there were.
Going to the MCC, going to H&S, going to everyone saying we're going to slide from the first level down into a pool of ice.
Yeah. And don't think for one second that this bloke didn't have very, very strong ideas and opinions about the way that he wanted things to operate. Yeah.
Yeah. No, he would take and not take no for an answer in any way, shape or form.
Well, he had to be manipulated and massaged around certain things because- Not much. The technicalities and logistics.
He didn't give much crown, I'm telling you.
And then we were the first sliders.
Well, that's the other thing he said. Not only are we doing it, you're doing it. You, you, you. You're number one. I'm looking at you. You're number one slider. So I'm commentating on the night. We had no idea what it was. So- And then someone said, right, we've got to go. So we walked from the commentary around to the southern stand and we just went down into the room.
There was no dress-ups, although I put a... Not like it is now. I put a half a sweatsuit on because I was going to be cold. And then Neil just spoke to us. He said, this is it. We're going to shove you down there and you're going to jump in the ice and that's it. We should force you down again.
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Chapter 4: How did media support play a role in the Big Freeze's success?
And what about the list of people that go through? Incredible. They now ring up and have publicists ringing up saying, can we get my person down? Mm-hmm. So this one's going to be massive, isn't it? And never lose sight of what it's all about. The whole thing is about unashamedly raising money and awareness to try and fight this thing that ultimately claimed our great fringe yesterday.
It's one of the most amazing sites, though, because it's built and built and built. And we've always had this discussion with Lewis many times about, you know, it'd be great if you could do it at halftime because people are still arriving at the ground when actually the whole freeze down the slide thing happens. So it's not full at that stage. I said, no, can't we ā
Can we hold it off to halftime and then do it at halftime when, you know, you've got a full stadium of people to watch? And logistically, it was always hard to be able to stage it like that because of the time involved in doing it. But it is one of the great things to stand up there and watch how it's grown and see that sea. Because, you know, the beanie thing, like it's caught on now.
It's amazing now. Yeah. Like, you know, people bought them, but, you know, you sort of see a little spattering of blue over here, a little blue over here, and now it's a sea of blue. And I think, as you do, like if we could get 9,500,000 people at the MCG this year, it would just be an extraordinary, an extraordinary tribute to Neil and all he's been able to achieve.
Yeah, that's what this year comes, isn't it? You pay respect to the man who has done so much. Mm-hmm. By being, wherever possible, getting to the game. And if, you know, in years gone by, you've gone, oh, you know, it's a Monday, it's a long weekend, and I don't want to go because I'm away. Well, maybe this is the year where you go, no, no.
Let me sacrifice a little of something to be there on that Monday. And buy the beanie and jam it to the rafters and then it'll be the most emotional sliding day ever.
Yep. And you know the thing that would be great this year, if we could, there's not a lot of time to gather everybody and there would be people that have been participating in this that probably aren't even in the country at the moment, but... To get every person that's ever been a slider, for all of those people to be able to get a special effort to try and get to this particular game.
Maybe stand alongside the slide or out on the ground.
Yes, somewhere.
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Chapter 5: What was the original idea behind the fundraising concept?
If you've been going since day one and you've got a collection ā
of 12 or 11 rather then um it's a i've kept all mine as well and um so to try and have them and continue to have them would be a great thing um yeah we will we will continue to push the king's birthday game over the next couple of weeks this whole station will the whole footy community will to encourage people to get there and try and get a hundred thousand
MCC members, they'll come out in support of Neil. AFL members, because they're the difference between whether you get 100 or not. So, yeah, we'll keep on all that. People are suggesting that we need to make it happen. We'll do our very best. I don't think they're going to need much encouragement.
No, I don't think so. They will either. Sorry, I don't think they will either. We've got a great show coming up. After 7 o'clock, we're going to continue our tributes and our discussion and our conversation around Neil Downing. We've got his brother, TD, who I spoke to yesterday. He's going to join us after 7 o'clock. David Neitz.
Paul Hopgood Cameron Swab who appointed him as coach and obviously Sam Edmund will be along with the news a little bit later we'll quickly just take Trout in Woodeng good morning Trout
Hello, boys. Look, I'm so sorry for your loss, guys. I know he's really close to it. From the bottom of my heart to you guys, to the family, to all the listeners out there, dig out your beanies, wear them everywhere all over the state today.
Gary, I know you've got a lot of beanies there, but if, you know, everyone's going to accumulate these beanies, make a rug out of them and you can sit over and watch TV and, you know, like a blanket, you can get them made into a blanket and you'll always remember, always be used. There's always another alternative for them. But my heart goes out to everyone today.
Good on you, Trout. Appreciate that. It's a great idea. Wear your beanie today. Dust one off if you've got one at home. If you've got the new one, or go out and buy the new one even better if you possibly can. And wear it in support and as a tribute to Neil Danaher. We'll take a break. Be back after this.
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