Leanne Staniforth says her husband, John, a farmer from Tallimba in southern New South Wales, suffered in silence before his death by suicide. Married for 37 years, the couple raised five sons together. Mrs Staniforth described John as an active and well-loved member of their rural community who "put everyone at ease, loved to encourage the young people and being a shearer from a very young age, he could just connect with everybody."

Despite his public persona of laughter and friendship, John struggled privately, often coming home "absolutely exhausted but unable to sleep." He had three hospital admissions with various treatments aimed at easing his mental distress, but he "hated every second of being away and all he wanted was to get home."

Now, Mrs Staniforth is raising her voice to promote mental health awareness in rural communities and encourage others to seek support.

Samuel Harvey, executive director of the Black Dog Institute, emphasized the difficulties faced by people with mental health symptoms in regional and remote areas of Australia. He noted that mental health professionals are insufficient in number and unevenly distributed, being concentrated mainly in metropolitan areas.

Professor Harvey added that mental health conditions account for an estimated 15% of the state's burden of ill-health, yet the sector receives less than 5% of the health budget, indicating chronic underfunding.

Mrs Staniforth reflected on the impact of John's death, saying, "His boys have lost their hero. It's broken our hearts."

Sources