Selfless Vs Selfish
Before Covid, I had the privilege of sitting down with Neale Daniher AO my former coach, friend and modern day hero to many to talk about leadership, life, purpose and what it means to be part of something bigger than yourself.
With Big Freeze 12 upon us, and with the recent passing of the man I called Coach, I’ve been reflecting on that conversation and the legacy he leaves behind.
One of Neale’s great strengths was his ability to keep people focused on the end goal. No matter how hard things got, he reminded you what really mattered. And even though he is no longer with us, I know what he would want us to do now.
He would want us to continue the fight.
I know this because he spoke about it before he passed. I also felt it years ago when we lost our teammate Troy Broadbridge in the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami. In our grief, Neale gave us a question that brought comfort and clarity:
“What would Broady want us to do?”
That question helped us move forward then. It gives me comfort now.
So, what would Neale want?
He would want us to keep fighting the Beast. To keep backing FightMND and the incredible work he started with Dr Ian Davis, Pat Cunningham and so many others touched by this hideous disease.
He would remind us that “it takes people.”
In this short one-minute video, Neale speaks about the self and selflessness, about coming together for something bigger than ourselves. That life is a team game. That we need each other to achieve anything meaningful.
And that is how we honour him.
We turn up. We buy the beanie. We raise awareness. We raise funds and have fun doing it. We support the science. And we keep believing a cure is possible.
See you Monday at the MCG for Big Freeze 12, to honour a movement built by many and led by a man I admired deeply.
Coach, your legacy lives on.
And the fight continues.
Be good, do good,
Clint
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