Mental health is a struggle for many, even though on the outside they may appear to be fine.

Yet sometimes a simple conversation is all it takes to change someone’s life.

Bringing the conversation about mental health home to our community continues to be the goal for Leeton’s Pat Tripodi, organiser of the Leeton Harley and Bike Muster.

In it’s third year, the bike muster brings the discussion about mental health to the forefront.

Knowing many struggle with depression, Mr Tripodi hoped to help bring about change.

As part of the muster, his goal was to get people out for an exciting day and spread the awareness that mental health problems can lay beneath the surface.

“I know lots of people who suffer from depression,” Mr Tripodi said.

“We’re a rural community and we need to get it out there that it’s okay to talk about it.”

The muster continues to garner support from the community, but it has been a difficult hill to climb.

“It’s been more spoken of, more recognized and more openly discussed now,” Mr Tripodi said.

Growing slowly, the muster is building momentum and 2016 was the third time the event has been held.

Bikes from across NSW thundered into Leeton to be part of the event and it proved just the ticket to bring people together.

“We’ve had about 50 bikes come up from Sydney,” Mr Tripodi said.

In an increasingly closed society, the idea of the muster was to get people out and talking.

Mr. Tripodi teamed up with mental health specialist David Post to help engage and educate spectators during the many activities.

“It’s all about the mental health,” Mr Post said.

“We need people to talk to each other. When you look at the suicide rates in rural areas, it’s just way too high.

“The more people we get talking to each other, the better chance we’ve got of beating this mental health issue.”

On offer for the exciting evening were a wide variety of events.

Live music entertained the crowd and for many the highlight of the bike muster was the burnout pad.

Riders were invited to test their skills and put their tyres to the test. Motors screamed as smoke billowed across the Leeton Showgrounds to the delight of the crowd gathered at the fence to watch.

Amid the smoke, people came together and through out the day the conversation was about increasing awareness of mental health.

“It was great,” Mr Tripodi said.