On the middle of Queensland’s sprawling East coast, you’ll find Mackay. Isolated from the state’s big cities, where footy is their lifeblood: it’s real, regional Australia.

But living in a small town comes with its challenges, especially if you’re struggling with mental health issues.

“Even just dressing differently in small towns or trying to be yourself can be looked down upon by other people,” 23-year-old Mackay local Sean Lynch told Hack, “It definitely is a lot harder for people to be themselves in a smaller town.”

Sean has struggled with depression himself, and in 2015 he was frustrated.

“After losing about five or six people in my mutual friends’ circle to suicide - I decided that I needed to do something about it, speak up, and hopefully that would give other people courage to speak out about their experiences.”

Sean posted the below video to his Facebook page, saying, “It’s okay to not be okay, but it’s not okay to not talk about it.”

“I was going through a tough break up...I didn’t have much will to live at the time if I’m being honest with you, I wasn’t thinking straight.

Had it not been for my family, my mum my dad and my girlfriend, I might not be here anymore.

“The point of this video is that it does get better, you do learn to cope with these things...it does subside.”

Skip YouTube Video FireFox NVDA users - To access the following content, press 'M' to enter the iFrame.

Sean’s video struck a chord.

“People still come up to me in the street and talk to me about it and how it helped them,” he says, “I just spoke from the heart, it was emotional and raw and got the point across.”

For Troy Rovelli, CEO of the town’s rugby league club, the issue of men’s mental health really hits home.

“This club, the Mackay Cutters, has been affected dramatically. We had two young men a couple of years ago take their lives on Australia Day, within hours of each other.

We’ve had a bit of personal tragedy around this footy club.”

“We had a tough 12 months on the field that last year. It bothers me, as a father and as a grandfather, that we’re not in touch. I was looking to do something and I didn’t know what, but I wanted to make sure that I made a difference in this club.”

Using the team’s status and influence in the Mackay community, the club decided to put suicide prevention at the heart - literally - of their team.

Share Facebook

Twitter

Mail

Whatsapp Mackay Cutters player Andrew Davey with the club's new jersey. The yellow, purple and green logo on the jersey is for the Mackay Regional Suicide Prevention Network.

As of this season, the team’s jersey now displays the Mackay Regional Suicide Prevention Network logo across the chest - where a corporate sponsorship would usually feature.

“We normally sell that bit of real estate for about $60,000-$80,000,” Troy says, “In the end, we’re a little struggling club and we do need all the support we can get.

"But I think this is far more important than any corporate sponsorship.”

Troy says the club is still receiving corporate support, and the move has prompted corporates who “wouldn’t usually support footy” to pitch in.

The change to the Cutters’ jerseys is part of the team’s Change The Game: Tackle mental health head on initiative. The awareness program involves educating high school students about mental health.

“That’s the thing we have to work on - breaking the stigma. It’s okay to put your hand up.

“Our big challenge as administrators is to get the players to realise how influential they can be, and what it means to the Mackay community.

“We are a footy town, we have been and we’ll continue to do that well into the future. For the players It’s about braving that responsibility and feeling proud...about having that impact on someone’s life.”

Troy says he’s committed to following the initiative through, and is conscious of making sure the movement doesn’t fizzle out and lose meaning to the community.

“We’re in a society now where there’s a lot of “tick and flick”. You know - you tick the box on mental health awareness and then move on. [People] don’t back that up - that annoys me, when the follow-through doesn’t happen.

“Let’s face it - we’ve all been excited about initiatives when it all gets kicked off, it makes you feel good, everyone wants to make a difference.

“But the real challenge is about being consistent, and how we continually deliver that message.”

If you or someone you know is struggling, there's always someone you can talk to at Life Line on 13 11 14 or online at www.lifeline.org.au.