A Forestville firefighter has been met with an outpouring of support from his colleagues and the wider community after going public with a motor neurone disease diagnosis that has upended life for him and his young family.
Scott Hardiman, 37, has served with Fire and Rescue NSW for a decade, most recently working as a hazardous materials specialist out of the Forestville station. He’s also one half of a firefighting pair, with his brother also serving with FRNSW, a detail that has made the news land especially hard within the close-knit brigade.
Hardiman was diagnosed with MND last year and has not been at work since October 2025. He chose to share his diagnosis publicly via social media in early June, describing what years on the frontline had already put him through before this latest, far heavier blow. In recent years his career as a firefighter had already involved recovering from a workplace training injury and dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder, before MND entered the picture.
He grew up in Newport and now lives on the northern beaches with his wife Ellie and their three-year-old son, Ace.
Motor neurone disease is a degenerative and currently incurable condition that gradually breaks down the nerves controlling movement, speech, swallowing and breathing. It belongs to a group of disorders involving both the upper and lower motor neurons that connect the brain, brainstem and spinal cord to muscles throughout the body. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, is the most widely recognised form of the disease.
Hardiman’s decision to speak out comes at a moment when MND has rarely had a higher public profile in Australia. NRL player Jai Arrow revealed his own diagnosis on 20 May, and AFL great and long-time MND campaigner Neale Daniher died from the disease on 25 May. Daniher had spent close to two decades pushing for greater funding and awareness of MND research before his death.
In his post, Hardiman reflected on the contrast between a career spent helping others through their worst days and now facing a battle of his own. He wrote about how the physical and emotional toll of frontline work is something firefighters quietly absorb as part of the job, and how some of that toll doesn’t surface until much later. He encouraged fellow firefighters, frontline workers, defence personnel and critical care staff to better understand the long-term risks tied to the work they do, noting that the effects of service don’t always end when a shift does.
Rather than dwelling on sadness, he urged people to instead get behind research, funding and advocacy for MND, both for those living with the disease and the families supporting them. He specifically pointed to the NRL’s “Jai July” campaign as one way the public can help keep awareness and funding growing.
The response from within FRNSW has been immediate. Fellow firefighter Claudia Attanasio helped establish a fundraiser to support Hardiman and his family, describing him as someone who had always prioritised his health and was usually the one planning the next adventure or encouraging others to make the most of their time, which made the diagnosis especially difficult for those who know him to absorb. She said the diagnosis had changed the family’s life completely, but that they remained focused on cherishing time together as they support Hardiman through whatever lies ahead.
FRNSW Commissioner Jeremy Fewtrell also voiced his support for Hardiman and the fundraising effort, likening the firefighting service to an extended family that pulls together in hard times, and noting that the news of one of their own facing an MND diagnosis prompted an immediate wave of support from across the organisation.
Hardiman’s family and friends say he was initially reluctant to accept help, but ultimately agreed to a fundraising campaign aimed at covering the mounting costs of medical care, specialist appointments and ongoing treatment as the disease progresses, with the goal of preserving his quality of life for as long as possible. Those organising the appeal have described him as someone who spent years showing up for other people in their toughest moments, and who is now being asked to let his own community do the same for him.
Donations can be made through the GoFundMe page set up on Hardiman’s behalf, which is linked via the Northern Beaches Advocate’s coverage of his story.
Published 12-June-2026
