After the loss of Towong Hill Station, John Mitchell turns to supporting mental health work

Only the brick bones of the homestead remain after the Upper Murray fires, but even they are imposing, overlooking thousands of hectares of farmland and the Snowy Mountains.

The station's owner, John Mitchell, has been in the path of fire nine times, as a child living there and as an adult in a nearby farmhouse.

As many have said of the New Year's Eve blaze, it was indiscriminate but inconsistent. Despite being only a kilometre away, Mr Mitchell's home was untouched.

"I thought I'd lost literally everything until about 24 hours later," he said.

"I was in Corryong, I was struggling to breathe at the community centre at the high school, so I went down to the new estate to stay with friends and then to Albury to stay at a hotel.

"I knew by 10 o'clock the next morning what I'd lost and what I hadn't."

Belongings of the late Tom and Elyne Mitchell, who made their mark on the Upper Murray and Australia through politics, authorship and skisports, were gone.

A home with heritage value in its own right, holding a lifetime of memories for the couple's children, also gone.

"A fair few of mum and dad's books were there, and my library went; from 200 economics books, I was left with two in the car that I was reading," Mr Mitchell said.

"Losing your property and your possessions has to have a mental effect on you, it has to.

"Sometimes things don't go to plan, but it's not the worst thing that's happened to me in my life.

"My brother died aged 22 in 1972, and I was only 16 when it happened; that springs to mind, and other instances."

The farmer and investor contemplated the issue of mental health in the initial months following the fire.

His own frame of mind was kept level by his work with Australian National University; he is writing a "money guide for Australian Agriculturalists".

A diverse investment portfolio and a humble existence mean Mr Mitchell is "one of the lucky ones" and will not struggle to recover financially.

But he is concerned about the effect of the fire on his community.

"Some people have had all their pasture burnt, and some of their stock, they've got to re-fence at $10,000 a kilometre, deal with insurance, and there's a family to feed," he said.

"There's no superannuation or rental properties, and they've got a very large mortgage on the place and the bank wants their money every month.

"There's a lot of farmers like that around, who've got nothing but the farm and a mortgage on the farm.

"As soon as insurance money has run out, probably in 18 months' time, I just fear this community could go down an economic mineshaft - and so could other communities like Mallacoota. With that comes husbands and wives blaming each other, and children get disaffected."

Foreseeing these risks, Mr Mitchell donated $250,000 to mental health programs at Corryong Health.

"We have long-standing mental health workers, Kate Wheeler and Deb McNamara, and we came up with the idea," he said.

"It's to strengthen mental health services - it includes the gym too - it's holistic community inclusiveness.

"Kate's Kitchen is a dinner once a month for people who suffer mental health issues and anyone is welcome to attend - we usually get about 40, 50 attendees.

"And hopefully when the COVID-19 lock-down is finishing, we'll have some speakers and community functions."

Originally set up for people with diagnosed mental illness, Kate's Kitchen has become an inclusive gathering for all members of the community after 17 years.

Mr Mitchell's donation will also benefit a gym in the new Upper Murray Events Centre, made possible by Corryong Health and Towong Council.

Corryong Health chief executive Dominic Sandilands said it was an important addition, considering the health benefits.

"There is also the social aspect so sadly missing from the last few months," he said.

"Post-bushfires, it is even more important to get people together on a regular basis, to develop and maintain social networks."

Three additional staff have joined Mr Sandilands' mental health team, which has organised relief and insurance claims, furniture, temporary housing and referrals to counselling services.

"Initially, clients are running on adrenaline and seem to cope reasonably well," he said.

"It is four to 12 months later the significance of the loss of farming land, equipment and income impacts mental health of individuals and families.

"We anticipate increased service demands within the near future, due to seasonal requirements of our district with the colder months and the possibility of increased financial hardships of not only directly-affected farmers, but businesses.

"As COVID-19 restrictions lift, we will co-ordinate a series of events to get people together to share their stories and encourage everyone to seek help if needed.

"We need to remove the stigma around seeking help and to normalise the way people feel after such traumatic experiences."

Mr Mitchell knows the benefit of speaking up, after overcoming his own depression.

His childhood at Towong Hill Station is the reason why his feelings are so mixed about its loss.

"Basically, it was never a happy house for me for a number of reasons," he said.

"You were either a born stock person or you weren't, and I wasn't.

"It is a bit sad [that it burned down].

"I'm not going to rebuild, I have pretty poor health, so the next owners can rebuild if they like - the brickwork is sound."

The remains of Towong Hill Station will no doubt be a difficult reminder of recent events, as the landscape recovers and life - at least on the surface - returns to normal.

Mr Mitchell urged his fellow farmers to "make a plan so it's not spinning around in your mind".

"They can write a list of everything that needs to be done around the farm, and put priorities and costs against them," he said.

"Talk to bank managers and creditors, keep them in the loop the whole time.

"Have a cash flow budget two years' out, and if you can't, find a financial counsellor to do it for you. Have a written-out recovery plan.

"That's the best advice I can give."

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And on mental health, Mr Mitchell said he has found distractions to be helpful - but only if that doesn't result in denial.

"I like to go out to the bush, or have a cup of tea and read a book," he said.

"Don't medicate with grog - and that's coming from a former alcoholic.

"Keep mixing with people, and if you're really struggling, for God's sake, turn yourself in at the hospital.

"They are there to help."