Big Freeze Geelong to make the plunge again

THE Big Freeze Geelong is ready to take the plunge into its second edition, with all eyes set on raising $100,000 for the FightMND cause in 2023.

Set to take place on June 4 when Drysdale take on the Newcomb at Drysdale Recreation Reserve, the event will see 10 local personalities slide into a pool of icy water to raise money for MND research.

Replicating the MCG Big Freeze event, The Big Freeze Geelong is inspired by the courageous Neale Daniher, who is still leading the charge for all MND sufferers after 10 years of battling the grueling illness.

After raising $62,000 in the inaugural event in 2022, Big Freeze Geelong ambassador and nephew of Neale Daniher, James Bruest, said the bar was set high for another fantastic icy edition.

“We can’t wait… we’ve got a fantastic team at Drysdale who are doing a body of work behind the scenes and it’s super exciting to be bringing it back this year.

“It was amazing seeing the sea of blue FightMND beanies around Mortimer Oval last year and it’s set to be even bigger and better than ever before.

“The cause means a lot to me… watching Neale’s journey pretty closely since he was diagnosed 10 years ago, I’ve seen the mountain of work he has put in and the army that he has built to give MND sufferers hope.

“I’m just amazed by him… he puts all his energy into his family and powering forward with the Big Freeze 9, which we are a little part of on the Bellarine.

“While our ambitions of almost doubling our $60,000 total from last year is lofty, we think we can get it done.”

Already confirmed to take the plunge on June 4 is City of Greater Geelong mayor Trent Sullivan, who said he was incredibly excited to be a part of the iconic event.

“The community really came together and dug deep for Drysdale’s first Big Freeze, and it was a huge success.

“I won’t say I’m excited about plunging into the ice, but I am thrilled to help James and Sam raise more funds in the fight against MND.”

Joining James Bruest to spearhead the cause will be 2022 slider and Geelong Cats volunteer Sam Moorfoot, who successfully raised $15,000 during last year’s inaugural event.

As a privilege of being an ambassador, Mr Moorfoot can pull his “Sam’s Choice” trump card, allowing him to pick one specialty slider to add to the local celebrity lineup.

“Sammy brought an absolute waterfall of funding into the cause last year and we are very pleased to have him part of it again,” Mr Bruest said.

“Apparently, he has already chosen his special slider, so we will hopefully have that out to the public soon.”

For slider announcements and more information, stay tuned via facebook.com/drysdalehawksfc