6:00pm: Boyup Brook, Western Australia.

Brian Willcox can't sleep. Instead, he will drive the six-hour round trip from his rural property in Boyup Brook to metropolitan Perth.

He is on a mission to search and assist homeless veterans.

Insomnia is one of the symptoms of the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Brian brought home from Afghanistan. He served there as a private in the Special Air Service Regiment.

He was shot at, saw horrific accidents, and lived at a heightened intensity for the duration of his tour.

The PTSD manifested immediately upon his return.

Brian Willcox gathers items from a sea container that stores the supplies he distributes to Perth's homeless. ( ABC Open: Ruslan Kulski )

Cars stopped by the road shoulder cause instant anxiety. He needs two exit points from every room. He can't trust anyone.

One night a few years back, Brian walked out in front of a train, stepping away at the last second. The police gave chase and he was locked up.

While in police custody he realised he needed help.

"That was pretty much the turning point. You wish there was a switch in your head that you could just switch off," he said.

He found treatment at a Perth clinic that offers a trauma recovery program, and met other veterans experiencing the same challenges.

Brian decided to do something to help.

9.02pm: Bassendean RSL

Brian (second from right) meets with other veterans at the Bassendean RSL. ( ABC Open: Ruslan Kulski )

After three hours on the road, Brian makes his first stop at the Bassendean RSL.

A group of blokes are sitting outside around a bench table, having a beer.

One of them is Brian Willey. Willey was with the RAF for nine years.

After getting out he went to Saudi Arabia to work on fighter-bombers. When Kuwait was invaded by Iraq in 1990, he went to war as a civilian.

"I didn't see the sun for six months after all the oil fires were set," he said.

Brian Willey's Iraq T-shirt commemorates his tour to Iraq. ( ABC Open: Ruslan Kulski )

The experiences started to accumulate and Willey had a breakdown. He was made redundant and returned to Australia.

One day he rented a car, drove to a Fremantle laneway and ran a hose from the exhaust in through the car window.

The police had to smash the window and pull him unconscious from the vehicle.

Later, the two Brians met on the PTSD coping course and stayed in touch. They shared many of the effects of PTSD, and they are far from alone.

Suicide rates prompts Senate inquiry

A report issued by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found suicide rates of servicemen aged 18-24 is double that of the general population at the same age.

Veteran suicide rates are such a concern that the Senate is holding an inquiry into the issue.

It is statistics like this that gave Brian the inspiration for his work with the homeless.

He finds veterans by helping any homeless people he comes across. Word spreads that there is a someone who wants to help.

12.03am: Perth CBD

It is midnight and Brian spots a man in a hospital wheelchair. He is a recent amputee and, after being discharged from hospital, he had nowhere to go.

"It's the worst time in my life," the man said.

Brian Willcox talks to a homeless man about options for support. ( ABC Open: Ruslan Kulski )

Brian gathers supplies from his trailer and helps form a plan for the morning, mapping out the government and charity services the man is to visit come sunrise.

By now, Brian has been on the road for six hours.

In Forrest Chase, a square in the centre of Perth, he comes across a 72-year-old woman sitting with her nephew on the bench they will sleep on.

They have been sleeping rough for a year after a series of family tragedies.

A woman sits on the bench she will sleep on in Perth's CBD. ( ABC Open: Ruslan Kulski )

Brian is asking what they need when he has a flashback. He finds it difficult to talk and moves away to gather his thoughts.

He needs to talk through the feeling, so deploys one of the coping mechanisms he has developed — he goes live on Facebook.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 2 minutes 29 seconds 2 m 29 s Brian Wilcox Facebook Live

Brian records a video on most of his missions. They act as a record of the night, let the family know he is alive, and give him a chance to talk through any flashbacks.

While he has developed strategies to deal with the symptoms of his disorder, many veterans have not.

To help combat this, Brian is turning his house into a home for veterans with PTSD.

Brian Willcox on his property in Boyup Brook, WA. ( ABC Open: Ruslan Kulski )

The refuge

Brian is transforming his 2.5-hectare Boyup Brook property into a refuge for homeless veterans.

Donated caravans dot the yard. There is a camp kitchen area, a laundry and showers.

"There's also a spot for the guys to display their military stuff if they want to," he said.

Brian and his wife Karen help the guests with their Department of Veterans Affairs paperwork and offer other administrative assistance.

There is one resident staying with them, in the caravan next to the dam.

"He's ex-navy so he wanted to be near the water," Brian jokes.

Jed's Caravan is a home for homeless vets. ( ABC Open: Ruslan Kulski )

4:00am: Rockingham

That navy veteran is Colin. Colin has been homeless on and off for the past 30 years.

At 4:00am, he meets Brian for a coffee in Rockingham because his own mental health issues mean he can't sleep either.

His caravan at the Boyup Brook refuge offers the respite he needs to get off the booze. He likes it because it is out in the bush, away from the crowds.

"Veterans like to go bush because it's like being in the field again," Brian said.

Both unable to sleep, Colin meets with Brian in the early hours of the morning. ( ABC Open: Ruslan Kulski )

Colin is getting counselling and reaching out to other veterans in the same situation.

"Helping others helps a lot too," he said.

Community service as a coping mechanism is a common theme among the veterans Brian works with.

They are servicemen and women after all.

7:00am: Bunbury

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Listen Duration: 28 minutes 5 seconds 28 m Brian Willcox talks to Radio National's Earshot Download 38.7 MB

After 13 hours on the road, it is the end of tonight's journey.

It has been a successful trip for Brian. He has helped people.

"Keeping busy and helping other people helps me cope," he said.

It will not be long before he is on the road again, searching and serving, just like the ADF taught him.

The Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling Service (VVCS) also offers free, confidential counselling for all current and former ADF members, their partners, and former partners 24 hours a day, seven days a week on 1800 011 046.