Ben Phillips initially felt he wasn't up to hosting this year's Beyond Blue fundraiser following the death of his eldest brother 'Chook' in a mining accident near Singleton last month.
"When Chook died I felt it was a bit much," he said.
"But then one of my nephews said to me 'Dad loved it so much last year'. I thought righto let's do it."
Mr Phillips has been fundraising for the mental health support service since losing his nephew Sam, 23, to suicide in 2020, and his brother, Robbie, also died by suicide two years later.
Those losses became the driving force behind Mr Phillips' involvement with Beyond Blue's Big Blue Table, an annual fundraiser that brings people together for a good time while also opening the door to conversations about mental health, anxiety, depression and suicide.
His efforts so far have raised $54,245. The funds represented the equivalent of 822 contacts with the Beyond Blue Support Service.
Paul 'Chook' Phillips died at the Wambo United mine near Singleton when he was hit by a reversing mobile unit on August 3. The accident is the subject of a Resource Regulator investigation.
Hours before he died Chook had just finished making plans to celebrate his 60th birthday with his brothers, sons and nephews at the Bathurst 12 Hour race in February.
While the pain of Chook's death is still very raw, Mr Phillips said it was also driving him to make this year's event bigger than previous years.
"The last few weeks have been incredibly hard for our whole family. Losing Robbie and Sam was the reason I started doing this in the first place, and now we're dealing with losing Chook suddenly and in completely different circumstances," he said.
"It would have been very easy to say, 'Not this year.'
"But I know Chook wouldn't want that. He'd want us together. He'd want the music playing, everyone having a laugh and probably a beer or two. So we're going ahead - and we're turning it up."
Big Blue Live, to be held at Gosford Golf Club on Saturday October 7, will transform the traditional fundraiser into a night of rock trivia, live music, games and food, taking inspiration from Australian music quiz shows such as RocKwiz and Spicks and Specks.
Triple M Central Coast Breakfast's Paddy Gerrard is giving his time to host the evening, while Central Coast musician Troy Henderson will perform live throughout the night.
Gosford Golf Club has also given the use of its event space.
While a great night out is guaranteed, four words at the bottom of the promotional poster - For Robbie and Sam - are a reminder of why the event exists.
"That's what this has always been about," Mr Phillips said.
"When you've lost people you love to suicide, mental health isn't an abstract issue anymore. You know what that phone call feels like. You know what it does to parents, brothers, sisters, children, partners, mates and entire families.
"I can't change what happened to Robbie or Sam. But I can keep talking about them. I can keep bringing people together, and I can do something that might help make sure support is there when somebody else needs it."
The Big Blue Live Rock Trivia Night will be held on Saturday October 17 from 6pm at Gosford Golf Club.
Tickets are $25 per person and include food and entertainment, with funds raised in support of Beyond Blue - 1300 22 4636.
