Jayden Whyte and his friend snuck out of the house in the middle of the night, muffling their giggles, with a plan to prank his father by painting a dead tree in the middle of a paddock bright blue.

Key points: Hundreds of trees have been painted blue around Australia following the death of a young WA man

Hundreds of trees have been painted blue around Australia following the death of a young WA man Jayden Whyte's family says he was not given the help he needed, and his death will be the subject of an inquest

Jayden Whyte's family says he was not given the help he needed, and his death will be the subject of an inquest The Blue Tree Project, started by Mr Whyte's best friend, has resonated around the world

That story was told at Jayden's funeral last year after he took his own life at the age of 29.

He left behind shattered parents and two younger sisters, searching for answers and asking whether more could have been done to prevent the tragedy.

On the day Jayden died, he attempted to seek help for fear of harming himself.

"He was brave to reach out to those that he thought would help him in that time of crisis," his sister, Kendall, said.

"Sadly, he was turned away twice in one day by the emergency department because he must have looked fine, when really on the inside he wasn't.

Jayden Whyte's death will be the subject of an inquest in New South Wales. ( Supplied: Kendall Whyte )

"After he was turned away for the second time, he went home and took his own life."

While an inquest will be conducted into Jayden's death, his family is left feeling let down by the system.

Kendall Whyte is determined to spread awareness of mental health. ( ABC Midwest and Wheatbelt: Laura Meachim )

Ms Whyte said more should have been done for her brother and the other people who present to EDs across the country at risk of self harm.

"It is just a terrible, terrible waste," she said.

"It happens to so many people and I keep hearing these stories and it is just tragic.

"People are reaching out for help and being let down by the system."

Jayden Whyte was living in Sydney when he died. ( Supplied: Kendall Whyte )

A best mate's tribute goes global

Jayden also, unknowingly, started a mental health revolution throughout regional Australia, where hundreds of trees have been painted blue to encourage people to speak out when doing it tough.

Ms Whyte said the Blue Tree Project started organically and went further than anyone expected.

"It's quite a bittersweet experience," she said.

"It is an amazing legacy that lives on in his name, but at the same time you would do anything to have your brother back."

Simon Comerford's post of the tree he painted was shared thousands of times. ( ABC Midwest and Wheatbelt: Laura Meachim )

After hearing the story about his best mate's prank, Simon Comerford decided to paint a tree blue in his honour.

He posted a photo of the 4.5-metre blue tree on Facebook, and it was quickly shared by more than 23,000 people, while more than 58,000 liked the post.

What followed was a wave of support, with communities around Australia and even overseas painting their own trees.

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"I thought maybe we would get 10 or 15 trees from people that were close to Jayden, but we are over 200 now and it is amazing," Mr Comerford said.

"It is growing exponentially and not what we expected whatsoever."

At first, it was a funny and fitting tribute to Jayden's free spirit, but Mr Comerford soon realised he had started a wider conversation.

"So many people have come to me now, people you just wouldn't expect to have these feelings or emotions," he said.

"They really opened up to me, which is really nice to hear from those people who you just thought were the strongest out there.

"We want people to know that it is OK to talk, and it is OK to tell somebody you are not OK, and it is OK to go and seek help."

Number of suicides nearly three times road toll

In 2017, suicide was the leading cause of death in 15- to 44-year-olds. In the same year, 75 per cent of self-harm-related deaths were made up by men.

Suicide also contributes to over a quarter of deaths in 25- to 34-year-olds and around 36 per cent of deaths in people aged 15 to 24.

The project encourages regional communities to paint a tree blue to spark conversations about mental health. ( Supplied: Blue Tree Project )

In 2016, the WA Primary Health Alliance started a suicide prevention trial due to the high number of suicides in the state's Midwest region.

Trial coordinator Jacki Ward said desperate action was needed, particularly in rural communities.

"When you think that the suicide rate is three times higher than the national road toll, it is appalling," she said.

She said the trial focused mainly on men.

"Farmers and fishers, they are working in isolation," she said.

"It leaves blokes out there on their own with nobody to talk to, and as you know, isolation can compound problems."

The trial funds community-based projects with an aim to find out what works in reducing the number of people taking their lives.

"We are empowering communities to help themselves," Ms Ward said.

"It is starting to gain momentum that communities are doing it for themselves because they know health professionals cannot be everywhere at all times."

Survivor inspires community change

After a handful of people took their own lives in the town of Mingenew, Ella Budrikis and Candice Lupton decided enough was enough.

They started Checkmate, which aims to start conversations about mental health with men in rural communities.

Ms Budrikis knows the challenges of living in a rural area with a mental illness, having survived a suicide attempt in 2018.

"It is one of the hardest things I think I will ever have to go through ... but it has made me a lot stronger."

Candice Lupton and Ella Budrikis started Checkmate after men in their community took their own lives. ( ABC Midwest and Wheatbelt: Laura Meachim )

Through her own journey with mental health, Ms Budrikis saw there was a huge gap in the services on offer for people living in rural WA.

The program allows small communities to host free workshops aimed at giving people the tools to help those in their community struggling with mental illness.

"Our focus has been on rural men because that seems to be where the real gap is," Ms Budrikis said.

"But there is also a gap when it comes to those who support those with mental health issues and it is imperative we provide that for them as well."

Spreading the message

It is becoming more common to see blue trees while driving through WA's Wheatbelt.

In Three Springs, a community of about 400 people, six people took their own lives in the space of two years.

The community responded by using its annual police charity golf day to raise money for initiatives aimed to get people talking to each other.

This year's funds will go towards providing free mental health workshops.

Merle Isbister has seen the impact poor mental health has on small communities. ( ABC Midwest and Wheatbelt: Laura Meachim )

Merle Isbister, a local volunteer paramedic, said mental health was basically the same as physical health.

"But we don't talk about it, we don't put it out there, it just sits there as an undercurrent," she said.

"Particularly in rural areas, where survival is dependent on the gamble with the seasons — it is just nice to bring people together, to have them talk openly about anxiety and depression."

With hundreds of blue trees across the country, the mental health message is being spread like never before.

Projects like Checkmate aim to bring men together, encouraging them to talk more about how they are feeling. ( ABC Midwest and Wheatbelt: Laura Meachim )

Ms Whyte said the next step was taking it to schools.

"We want to start talking to kids at a young age, that these might be the feelings you are having," she said.

"You may not be sure what they are exactly, and that is OK, and you should speak to someone about it.

"I think talking about mental health at a young age might help kick the stigma."