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Chills, they're multiplying as Big Freeze fights beast

Chills, they're multiplying as Big Freeze fights beast

Perth Now09-06-2025
Shazza and her idol Warnie continued the good fight against the beast as Max Gawn met his Mini Me and everyone's chills were multiplying.
The 10 sliders rose to the occasion at the 11th Big Freeze, the fundraiser at the MCG that honours FightMND icon and Australian Of The Year Neale Daniher.
As always, amid the fun of 10 celebrities in goofy dress-up sliding into a minus-six degrees ice bath for a good cause, there was pathos and heartache.
Daniher is now confined to a wheelchair and can only talk through eye recognition software as he continues his long fight against MND, which is incurable.
His daughter Bec now does much of the spruiking for their cause.
Big Freeze is held before the King's Birthday clash between Melbourne and Collingwood.
As Demons players warmed up, they all went to greet Daniher, the former Melbourne coach, as he completed a lap of the MCG. Collingwood players also helped form a guard of honour for him.
The theme this year was Australian icons and national cricket captain Alyssa Healy was Sharon "Shazza" Strezlecki, the netballer from Kath and Kim.
Magda Szubanski, who has revealed she is battling an aggressive cancer, made "Shazza" an all-time great Australian TV comedy character.
Healy did it justice, complete with neck brace and a suitably stunned expression as she walked out for her slide.
Former Australian captain Mark Taylor, the last slider, dressed as Shane Warne - Shazza's crush. The slide, fittingly, was set up in the shadow of the Shane Warne stand.
Actor Matt Nable came as Angus Young from AC-DC and remembered his brother Aaron, who died of MND last year.
Cadel Evans, the only Australian to win the Tour de France, was a miniature Max Gawn and the Melbourne captain greeted him after his slide.
Gawn, who stands at 2.08m, is also an avid cyclist and Evans, all 174cm of him, is one of his idols.
"Your worst day on the bike is better than my best day on a footy field," Evans told Gawn.
Swimming great Ariarne Titmus was Sandy from Grease, played by Olivia Newton-John, and as the song from the movie goes, chills were multiplying in the ice bath.
Former Melbourne star Aaron Davey honoured AFL and Indigenous great Michael Long, while TV presenter and former sprinter Matt Shirvington was Chris Hemsworth's movie character Thor.
A $10,000 bet was made that Shirvington would stay in his costume for the flight back to Sydney.
Peter Daicos, whose sons Nick and Josh were playing for the Magpies on Monday, always loves the limelight and he came as Heath Ledger's iconic Joker.
National netball captain Liz Watson was in all pink as Margot Robbie's Cowgirl Barbie and motor sport great Craig Lowndes was in all black as Mad Max.
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