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Chapter 1: What are the highlights of Neale Daniher's life and legacy?
Good afternoon, everyone. The beanies look incredible. Neil would be chuffed. Welcome to the State Funeral Service for Neil Danaher. Neil, the great man, back at the Coliseum again. On a typically Melbourne winter's day, rain falling all morning, my 10-year-old boy Lex said on the way to school today, even God's sad today.
Good crowd in, players, coaches, officials, commentators, family and friends everywhere. Danaher's all about feels like game day. Neil had a great sense of timing and theatre. The D's and the Bombers, the next match to be played here. That's pretty hard to script. A state funeral, a rare honour reserved for Australians who changed the nation.
So today, we gather not in grief alone, but in gratitude for a man who turned his hardest days into a gift for the rest of us. What a privilege to have lived at a time where we could learn from a man we celebrate, honour and remember today. Neil was the best of us in so many ways.
He understood something many of us learn when it's all too late, that a life's worth isn't in its length, but what you do with the time that you're given. He reminded us all that the mark of a person is not what you say, but what you do. And a lot will be said today about a man who did an awful lot. Neil was known for his quotes and his one-liners and for his pragmatic outlook.
And often, as the players will know, for his blunt advice, when all is said and done, more is said than done. Life is good, but it doesn't promise to be fair. Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards. If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change the way you think about it. And where is the opportunity? Don't let later become never.
And one more recently, no time for crap wine anymore. But the one line I can't get out of my head is one many of us have been told by Neil over the journey. Pat Cunningham and I often, as he left the house with an order, he'd often utter, just don't muck it up. Muck, I have to say, was pronounced differently when Neil said it.
So here we all are, keen not to muck it up and get it right for a man who got it right a lot. Neil loved his music, and I think secretly he would have loved to have been Brandon Flowers from The Killers, Mr. Brightside, or Mick Jagger from The Stones. But I think in so many ways he would have been the boss, Bruce Springsteen.
Timeless, generational, enduring, unifying, soulful, and just a sensational front man. Neil was a great front man. Behind Bruce was the E Street Band. a collection of brilliant musicians who allowed Bruce to shine and who Bruce loved spending his time with. They were his family. Neil had a big band of family behind him too.
So firstly, a heartfelt and warm welcome to Neil's mum, Edna Danaher, the matriarch of the Danaher family, a remarkable woman who shaped a remarkable man. We are so sad for your loss. To Neil's strong and much-loved wife, Jan, you've publicly smiled and shared the man you love and who loved you with all of us in the hardest of times.
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Chapter 2: How did Neale Daniher influence Australian football?
Not only money, but time and energy, loyalty and love. Neil did not carry it alone. Jan, Neil could not have done this without you. You were beside him in the hardest moments and in the most public ones. You carried so much. You protected the man, not just the mission. And in your quiet, strong and loving way, you helped give this movement its heart. Jan, thank you. And in turn.
And in turn, Jan, we will always be by your side. Today, we honour Neil. To Neil's children and grandchildren, he belonged to you first. Thank you for sharing him with all of us. Neil gave families hope and the future a better chance. And in his honour, we will keep fighting. On behalf of a grateful state and every Victorian who loved him, Vale Neil Danaher AO. Thank you, Premier, very much.
Please welcome the Prime Minister of Australia, the Honourable Anthony Albanese. For the second time in just three days, the mighty MCG belongs to the memory of Neil Danaher In footy's tribal world of fierce loyalties, there are very few people who have had this whole stadium barracking for them. Neil Danaher was one.
In a place that has known its fair share of champions and legends, we come together today to remember someone who was so much more than that. Neil Danaher was a hero. When confronted with an adversity that most of us simply cannot imagine, facing odds that could not be beaten, Neil chose to fight.
In doing so, he gave new hope to thousands of Australians living their own struggle against motor neurone disease. And he inspired all of us. with his courage, with his determination, with his humour and his invincible optimism. On behalf of all Australians, I offer our nation's heartfelt condolences to those who knew and loved Neil best, to Neil's beloved wife, Jan, to his mother, Edna,
your children, Lauren, Luke, Bec and Ben, and all the members of the remarkable Danaher family and his army of friends. I hope you've been able to take a measure of comfort from the fact that right across our great country, so many people who have never had the privilege of knowing or even meeting this wonderful man, loved him and admired him so deeply.
Over the last 13 years, as Neil threw himself into making each big freeze bigger than the last, all of us could see how much his battle against the beast was stealing from him. Yet none of it diminished him. It enlarged him. When he's lost his voice, his words became more powerful. when he could no longer walk, more and more Australians put on their beanies and marched at his side.
Because what that brutal disease could never touch, what it could not take away, what remained clear for all to see, was the very essence of Neil Danaher. His incredible mental toughness, his unshakable positivity and his selflessness. In 2013, Neil was told to measure his future in just months. Yet he dedicated every day of what would turn out to be 13 years to the search for a cure.
Beyond the extraordinary feat of endurance and resilience that represents, the most remarkable thing about the battle Neil fought so bravely was that it was not for him. He was truly one of the most positive people I have ever had the honour of meeting. Yet not even he imagined that a cure would be discovered in time to save his own life.
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Chapter 3: What personal stories illustrate Neale's character?
It was one of Neil's favourites. Welcome to you, Vincent, too. So we get to Neil and Jan's four children, Loz, Luke, Bec and Bendanaher. We've had 13 years to prepare for this, 13 years we are so grateful for. But I've learned over the past fortnight that no preparation eases the pain of losing someone you love. Neil was a lot of things to a lot of different people.
Many of you knew him or knew of him as the footballer, the coach, the MND advocate. But to Luke, Bec, Ben and I, he was dad. And while we are his biological children, it was no secret that the Melbourne boys were like sons to him too. Dad was like all good parents, just trying to work it all out as he went.
Now, he didn't always get it right, which makes me laugh, because he was such a perfectionist. He forgot to pick us up from school, he left Beck at Little Aths, And within five minutes of our first fishing trip, the rods, bait and his mobile phone fell off Freo Pier.
Dad was stubborn, immovable, impatient, traits that could try you at times, but they were also the very qualities that meant when he committed to something, he gave it absolutely everything. Dad had an innate ability to bring people together. He started a neighborhood club, organizing regular catch-ups, backyard barbecues, music games. He loved creating those connections.
Even when getting out and about became more limited, he found other ways. His WhatsApp groups became his way of staying connected. No matter the circumstances, he always found a way to bring people together. Dad was my sounding board, and a very reliable one at that. not because he told me what I wanted to hear, but because he always told me what he actually thought.
You never had to wonder where you stood with Dad. If you asked for his opinion, you got the real thing. No sugarcoating, no fluff, just honest, straight-from-the-heart feedback. And at times, that honesty could catch you off guard, but it was also one of the things I came to rely on most.
Because beneath the bluntness was something incredibly steady, someone who cared enough to be truthful, who took the time to listen, and who was always there for you, no matter what. One of the most special roles Dad ever took on was being Poppy Neal to Rosie, Cooper, Billy, Ollie, Grace, and Hazel. Dad took every role in his life seriously, and being Pop was no exception.
In fact, I think it was one of the roles he treasured most. Dad became a pop after his MND diagnosis, and as time went on and things got harder, Dad didn't step back from the role, he made it his own. Even when he couldn't talk or run after his grandkids, he found his own way to be present, to be their pop. I'll miss the little moments that said so much about that.
Rosie leaning on his chair, looking up at his eye gaze, patiently watching him tight. Grace walking up and asking for a third Freddo frog and Dad typing, OK, he'd never do that for us. The smile on his face when the kids walked through the door and watching him take it all in as the kids put on their backyard dance concerts.
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Chapter 4: How did Neale Daniher's battle with MND inspire others?
They don't speak much, but they're often spoken of, iconic in so many ways, Terry, Neil, Anthony and Chris. Please welcome one quarter of the most famous set of brothers Ungari has ever produced, the third of four, Anthony.
Thank you. Growing up with Neil on the farm, This photo captures a lot of our dear brother Neil and his big brother Terry, big sister Estelle, on holiday in Sydney. I often find myself wondering, what was Neil thinking at that moment? Does this pose foreshadow the life that is to come? But what I will tell you, that is the very last photo ever taken of a Denoher on a beach.
Once Dorothy, Chris, Colleen and I came along, summer holidays were off the agenda. Dad didn't want to buy a bus. And by the time Angela, Julie, Neroli and Fiona arrived, 11 kids, family holidays looked less like a beach and more like the Hungarian footy ground, Windy Hill, here at the G, or a network court somewhere around Australia.
Mum and dad were incredibly hardworking sheep and wheat farmers, strong in their faith and deeply passionate about sport. They raised us with very clear values, work hard, take care of one another, have great manners, play fair and be a good person. Neil absorbed all of that, the discipline, the loyalty, the love of sport and the importance of family life.
In year seven, he won the religious education award at school. The seeds for the Reverend Monica were planted early. My mum gave it pride of place above the fireplace. Nevermind the cabinet of sporting trophies, that was the one she was the proudest of. I think it's fair to say Neil was not destined to be on the land.
When it came to jobs around Hillview, he had a knack of disappearing at the right time. If he was in the ear reach of Dad, Dad would yell out, can you bring me over the wrench, Neil? And Neil would turn up with two spinners. Dad would grumble under his breath and finally he would get the wrench. But Neil would look at me with a wry smile. He knew what he was doing. There was another little...
project that we used to do was rock collecting and my mum would say to dad, can you just get the kids out of their house? So dad would say, let's go, we're collecting rocks. He'd put the trailer on the back of the ute and we had one particular paddock that was a problem. There were seven of us running behind the trailer, throwing rocks in the trailer. We'd done a deal before we started.
We said, well, what's in it for us, dad? And dad said, one set of rock. So off we went. We filled up the first trailer. We filled up the second. Then the next thing we know, the trailer hit something and there was a yell. Neil had thrown himself under the trailer, broken his leg. He said, I'm not doing this anymore for one cent a rock. He had a way of getting out of things.
But Neil loved the shearing shed, the camaraderie, the stories, the people. He loved his Uncle Jack, Cobby and Ethel, who would stir up Dad with his political views. They were amazing shearers and amazing storytellers.
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Chapter 5: What tributes did family members share about Neale?
Anthony Ingersoll was told to believe he could become one of the top centre-half backs in the league and walked out of the meeting feeling inches taller. Guy Regani was given confidence and support that he was going to make it back to top-level footy after a significant back surgery. And Geoff White remembers Neil crashing his Bucks party. Everyone went silent.
Neil reached in the Esky, cracked a beer and said, the party's just started, boys.
And in more recent years beyond the footy field, it's fair to say that the bond between Neil and his era of boys only got stronger. Even when he lost his voice, he never lost his spot at the head of the table. As the chairman of selectors for the Long Lunch team, selecting and even placing exactly where everyone was going to sit at the lunch, providing ongoing feedback.
He set the key agenda items and made sure that the laugh was never too far away.
He wanted to make sure we all stayed together and supported each other post our footy days, always concerned with how everyone was and how their families were going. Neil wanted to catch up at one of our old demons run walk Saturday morning sessions and gave me the heads up that it was his shout for breakfast.
Fair to say, word got out and the participation rate for that week rose from around the average of eight to over 30. Never did we have so much fun watching Nilo's face as he put his credit card over the counter. We finally got one up on him. We want to thank Jan, Loz, Luke, Bec and Ben for lending the ear to us for so long.
He was committed to our gang and such a father figure and mentor for many of us. We've been privileged to become closer to you, the broader Danaher family, his friends, the wider MND family, and we'd hate to say it, but we're even now like a few of his old and former teammates that he connected us with.
We're immensely proud of the profound effect that Neil has had on so many in his fight against MND, and we join with everybody across Australia to celebrate the extraordinary life of a national hero.
At the same time, there's a very personal hole that will be left for all of us in his group of old demons. We say goodbye to a mate, our coach, and the conductor of connection that has sustained our group for three decades. Neil, we love you, we applaud you, we thank you, we will remember you often, and we will play on. Thanks, Nita and Hoppy, incredible memories. And just for the record,
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Chapter 6: How did Neil's friends describe their experiences with him?
He never asked much of us because he knew a little from many could change everything. Some are measured by what they won on the field and you will always be measured. by what he refused to lose of it, his hope, his humor, his heart. He never asked us to feel sorry for him. He just asked us to fight alongside of him.
And the country picked up the beanie and answered collectively, we are a better community because of you. Neil, you lost your voice. and you are gone, but your message remains very loud. We honor you today with our grief and we will honor you ongoing without doing. The world feels less without you, Neil, but much better because you are here.
We acknowledge those entrusted with carrying Neil on his final journey. his children-in-laws, Luke and Ben, his brothers Terry and Chris, and his son-in-law, Drew Howe. Neil, we will honour your wishes and play on. Rest in peace.
You'll forget the sun in his jealous sky As we walk in fields of gold So she took her love for two days away Upon the fields of barley In his arms she fell as her hair came down
Will you stay with me?
Will you be my love Among the fields of body?
We'll forget the sun In its jealous sky As we lie in fields of gold See the west wind Like a lover's sword
feel her body rise when you kiss her mouth I'm on the freezer I never made promises like that and there have been some that I've broken but I swear in the days to live you're walking frozen you're walking frozen
Thank you, everyone, for coming today. If you'd like to, please make your way outside the gate to where you'll have the opportunity to form a guard of honour. Thank you for coming.
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