Founder Pat Tripodi believes the muster is now more important than ever, with a proportion of the proceeds to go towards ROC –  Rural Outreach Counselling Inc.

“ROC sends a counsellor from farm to farm to help people with their mental health,” said Mr Tripodi.

“In the past 12 months since we’ve been talking with them, they’ve had 200 people asking for their help in just this area.”

The sudden increase he chalks up to the pressures of periphery problems bearing down on the region.

“As much as we may not want to think about it, our irrigation area is struggling with the drought and it’s causing big problems for people’s mental health,” Mr Tripodi said.

“In Finley and Deniliquin, where there’s been no water allocation for a while, it’s getting bad and it’s turning people to suicide.”

The main difficulty to overcome in rural areas, Mr Tripodi says, is the stigma associated with seeking help.

“Being farmers we don’t like to talk about those issues,” he said.

“It’s always, ‘she’ll be right mate’, but it’s not alright. We always encourage people to talk to someone, sometimes that’s the best medicine anyway.”

Besides the dire message, Mr Tripodi hopes the muster will continue to provide a moment’s distraction from the problems.

“There’s plenty there, live bands, games, food and bar facilities,” he said.

“Every year the burn out pad gets bigger and better, it’s always a good one.”

If you or someone you know needs help, contact:  

Lifeline – 13 11 14

 Suicide Call Back Service – 1300 659 467

Kids Helpline – 1800 55 1800

MensLine Australia – 1300 78 99 78