Now a treasured annual event, the famous Big Freeze event is returning for its ninth year this month, with the King's Birthday Big Freeze remaining a significant fundraising occasion in helping fight Motor Neurone Disease.
Neale Daniher, a much loved Melbourne and Essendon great, has been the leading man in the Big Freeze, founding the event in 2014 with the purpose of helping find effective treatment and a cure for MND.
In its ninth consecutive year, the event will feature famous celebrity guests and AFL icons sliding down into freezing ice water to raise money to fight MND before Collingwood and Melbourne face off at the MCG on June 12. Throughout the momentous event, a total of $69.3 million has been raised to help research cures and treatments.
Last year, the Big Freeze 8 raised a recording-breaking $19.8 million, with the record hopefully suprassed once again during this year's event.
This year's cohort of celebrity sliders will include Aussie surfing legend Mick Fanning, who was the first participant to be revealed for 2023. Fanning spoke on The Front Bar earlier this week and recounted his first time meeting Daniher and his connection to the cause.
"I actually met Neale, I think it was one of the first Big Freezes and then also got to know Dr Ian Davis, who is one of the co-founders of Fight MND and it's incredible what they have achieved," he said.
"It's incredible what they've done. It's incredible the amount of money they have raised, the awareness they've raised and I am very honoured to be a part of it."
Beanies to help support the cause can be purchased from Coles, Bunnings and online for $25, as well as socks which can be purchased for whole sporting clubs and teams online.