Corryong priest Mitch Porter lay awake in the early hours of a Wednesday morning grappling with the pain engulfing his community.

The anguish of two of its sons lost to suicide and another to cancer in the space of six months.

The grief of a pain so raw, "it's just like being punched".

And as the shepherd of All Saints Anglican Church wrestled with his thoughts - "It's not fair and it's not right and it doesn't make sense" - Psalm 130 kept running through his head:

"Out of the depths I cry to you oh Lord; Lord hear my voice; Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my crying ..."

In those moments he knew there was a space that needed to be filled "by someone saying something" - however imperfectly.

And as he took to Facebook on August 12 with a sermon (of sorts) that was to resonate far beyond the reach of his congregation, he asked forgiveness for the words he might get wrong.

"(But) it's better to speak poorly than not speak at all when it comes to suicide," Father Mitch says.

"The pain so many people in our community are feeling right now is so raw; this is after the more-than-fair-share of tragedy and heartache we've already had this year."

On Thursday, August 20, Father Mitch helped lay Sam Hill to rest at Cudgewa.

The funeral of the popular 21-year-old was streamed from the Anglican church and a guard of honour formed with cars on the way to his private burial at the local cemetery; the constraints of COVID-19 hampering the close-knit community's chance to mourn in shared solace.

On March 6, Father Mitch had led a funeral service for James "Panga" Penman at the Corryong hall.

In the days after the well-known 18-year-old horse rider took his life, a friend posted to Facebook: "Check up on your mates, sometimes the biggest smile hides the most pain."

Those sentiments are echoed in Father Mitch's plea.

He has urged men, especially, to check on their mates, their friends, their family.

"Let them know that you love them and that you care about them," he says.

"Even if you've never said it before; even if the words stick in your throat as you say them because you are not used to doing it.

"(And) especially if you think they are having a rough time, and by God I think there would be a few people up here having a rough time at the moment."

Both Sam and James were really well-liked young lads - with so much to live for, according to Father Mitch.

"They had great, supportive and loving families and everything going for them yet they felt this was the only option," he says.

"It's not fair, it's not right and in this life there are no simple answers for why they would do it.

"I have walked this path with too many families and I don't ever want to bury another young bloke again."

Deeply troubled by the losses, Father Mitch reflected on how to best tackle a subject still so steeped in stigma.

"I'm just a priest in a small country town; I'm not an expert," he says.

But he knew, as people turned to him in their hour of deep need and pain, he needed to speak into the silence.

"It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness," he says.

"If nothing else, we have to try to get rid of the stigma around not being OK.

"Suicide is the number one cause of death for blokes under 50.

"We have to get the message to our young men, to keep saying don't do it."

So in the early hours of that Wednesday morning, he thought, "I've got to have a go at this".

During a video that's already been shared 500 times, Father Mitch called on blokes to find someone to talk to "about anything in life that's giving you grief".

He urged them to find positive ways to unwind and "to shed that load".

"I want you to know that suicide is an irreversible way of dealing with temporary problems," he points out.

"Taking your own life doesn't stop things from getting worse; it eliminates any chance of them getting better."

And he delivered a powerful message to all the dads, granddads, uncles, step dads, foster dads and others out there:

"If for whatever reason - and it's not a judgement - you haven't looked your boys in the eyes recently and told them you love them and that you are always there for them, now's the time.

"Remember there's nothing wrong or shameful about having dark days or struggling with your mental health," he adds.

"Even Christ had his bad days."

Since his post, there's not a day that's gone by that Father Mitch hasn't received a call, an email or a visit from someone to thank him.

"Big, strong farming men have told me this is something they've struggled with," he says.

"It's so important to normalise and to talk about depression or anxiety - to know you are not a freak or a failure for feeling like this.

"Young blokes idolise the older blokes in the community.

"So if Farmer Joe, who they've seen lift hay bales with one hand, says 'I've been down this road', or 'I take medication for anxiety', I think that can make a big difference."

Father Mitch says it's important, particularly in rural areas, to re-frame terms like "toxic masculinity".

"Blokes want to be strong - and there's nothing wrong with that," he says.

"But bearing things all the time stoically is not strong ... there also needs to be time and space for being vulnerable.

"Getting help, talking to your mates - that's strength."

The community is still finding its way forward in the aftermath of the devastating bushfires that swept through the Upper Murray at the end of December.

Coupled with the effects of COVID-19, it's been a rough journey for many.

James had completed his first summer as a volunteer fire fighter and Sam had fought alongside his family in the "terrifying" blaze at their property.

"Sam's brother said in his eulogy, he wasn't the same after that," Father Mitch says.

In this haze of sadness, the priest prays for his flock; and that our young men particularly find a sense of purpose that keeps them connected to their place in this world:

"Something bigger than them, that doesn't change, that they can hold on to."

As he sent out the love of the Lord in his online offering, Father Mitch reminds everyone they are not alone.

"Those cries that we make in the dead of night, and the pain that we feel does not go unheard or unnoticed," he says.

"Each and every one of us is loved and valued beyond all reckoning.

"Even when it can feel sometimes like that love is far off or even when we can't feel it at all."

The key is to reach for each other - and to let someone help us carry our burdens.

"If you're in that dark place right now, especially if you are having thoughts of self harm or suicide, I want you to know something - you are special and you are loved," Father Mitch says.

"Reach out, get around each other and let everyone you possibly can know that you love them and that the world would be a much worse place without them in it.

"And we will find a way forward together."