But that's all it has taken for 'The Blue Tree Project' to gather international momentum, travelling far from its origins in a small town 298 kilometres East of Perth.

In February 2014, Jayden decided to paint a tree blue on his family farm to test how long it would take before anyone noticed it.

His mischievous prank, done in the middle of the night with a good friend, was indicative of Jayden's loving personality and was relayed at Jayden's funeral in November, 2018 after he took his own life.

An idea to paint other trees blue in memory of Jayden and to spark conversations about mental health quickly gathered traction, and now his sister Kendall is co-ordinating the movement.

"The Blue Tree Project is a bittersweet thing," Ms Whyte said.

"We've got well over 400 trees within Australia that have been painted right across the country, and there's even some overseas now in the United States and Europe.

"We've had kindergartens involved, and people crocheting trees at aged care homes.

"It's pretty special seeing that spread so far and wide."

Ms Whyte said learning a blue tree had emerged in central Wodonga was heartening.

"Blue trees act as a conversation-starter, but there's also a visual reminder to check in on someone who you know is going through a rough time," she said.

"Part of it is spreading the message to those who are struggling, to be brave and speak up.

"People are always surprised to find out they're not the only ones going through the same struggles.

"There is still this huge need to change how we think about mental health."

On the day Jayden died, he presented to hospital twice; he called triple zero fearing what he might do and was taken to hospital, but was discharged two hours later.

He then took himself back to the same hospital, but was released later that night.

The Blue Tree Project promotes support that is available, and Ms Whyte has now taken on its management full-time, speaking at schools and events.

"We are not trained professionals in crisis care, and we're helping to raise awareness and making sure people can find the right services," she said.

"Lots of people are including RUOK signs and the Lifeline number on their trees.

"There's many services out there, it's not just a case of having to make a phone call."

The project's website also encourages people to only paint trees without any signs of life, and to create 'tree' alternatives to reduce environmental impact.

Ms Whyte said particularly in current times, like the bushfire crisis, people should become informed about how to offer help and where to refer.

"It's understandable if people are feeling hopeless ... sometimes it's hard to keep a perspective on life in these moments," she said.

"There's nothing more important than our loved ones.

"If you have noticed after these horrible experiences, people are struggling, it's important to be there, ask if they are coping and if they need some help.

"If you think they need professional help, there are great services.

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"It's a horrible statistic that suicide is the leading cause of death in Australia for 15 to 44-year-olds, and in the countryside rates are higher as well.

"It's important to remind people it's OK to have a 'blue' day."

For Ms Whyte 2019 was "a really tough year, but also beautiful" as more and more blue trees have emerged around Australia.

"We're taking on this project out of the hope we can avoid other families suffering," she said.

"It's amazing our family has this legacy for Jayden, and we hope we can offer that to other families."

There are also trees painted in Wangaratta and Yarrawonga, according to the 'trees list' on the project website.

For crisis help, contact Lifeline (13 11 14) and Beyond Blue also provides 24-hour support on 1300 224 636.