Teesdale resident secretly erects blue tree to support son-in-law and mental wellbeing

The 55-year-old Teesdale resident suffered from depression for 30 years and it was only in the last five or six years that he has been able to deal with it.

Passionate about mental wellbeing Mr Dellar and his wife, Kim, who are own and run Pinjarra Chiropractic Clinic, now also work as life coaches to support others with their mental health, through the MoMENtum Revolution.

Though the couple have always received support from Kim's parents, Irene and John French, with both Brett's own mental health and their helping of others in the community, John decided to take his show of appreciation a step further.

The 78-year-old boilermaker used scraps from his work to secretly build a 5.6 metre, more than 300kg metal blue tree as part of the Blue Tree Project - which wants to help spark difficult conversations and encourage people to speak up when battling mental health concerns.

With the help of Pinjarra Mitre 10, who supplied the blue paint, John and a friend erected the structure on the property he and his wife share with their daughter and son-in-law.

Mr Dellar said it meant a lot to him and Kim that they have John's support

"We always knew we did, but this just shows it to a different level," he said.

"For him, it was about raising awareness and being grateful that we're in a good space and get to help other people. He just wanted to show his appreciation for us and obviously, raise awareness in the community.

"For us it was just like 'wow, that's pretty cool', because he's old school ... tough as nails. He doesn't sort of say too much. He does it in action rather than words. We're very blessed and humbled by it. So very lucky."

Though not quite visible from the road, Mr Dellar hopes the tree will still have an impact on the community.

"We put up on Facebook and got a lot of responses from that, he said. Whenever anyone comes to visit, that's one of the first things they'll see, which is really nice."

Mr Dellar thinks what the Blue Tree Project does for communities and the country is important.

"It is just an awesome way to remind people that they need to check in on themselves, make sure they're okay if they are struggling a bit," he said. "To reach out and ask for help.

"Also to reach out to those around them, who they think might be struggling and just sit down and listen. Ask a question and then listen, and just be there for others.

"The whole mental health challenge we have in today's society is a big one. So the more people that open up and speak about it and reach out about it and ask for help, the better the community will be in whole.

"And hopefully reduce the number of challenges we face in that space, but also the number of suicides that result in our community as well."

For more information about Brett Dellar and The MoMENtum Revolution, visit momentumrevolution.com.