The retired St George Illawarra Dragons prop, who was diagnosed with bipolar II disorder in 2010, will visit a number of the region’s mine sites during the Hunter Coal Festival to speak about his personal mental health journey.

With one in five Australian workers affected by mental health annually, industry-owned health and safety organisation Coal Services invited Hunt to deliver a series of talks highlighting the issue.

“Men are 72% less likely to seek help when they’re struggling with mental illness,” Hunt said.

“I pushed everyone that was close to me away and shielded my sadness with anger. A lot of men who are angry are actually sad deep down.”

Now a qualified social worker, Hunt is also an Education Ambassador for the Dragons and an NRL State of Mind Ambassador, and has dedicated himself to raising mental health awareness.

“I’m the happiest and healthiest that I have ever been and education is the key,” he said.

“I urge anyone who is struggling to cope to reach out and talk about what they’re feeling. It’s not a sign of weakness – it takes a strong person to ask for help.”

CS Health general manager Mark O’Neill said mental health was a priority issue for the New South Wales coal industry due to the lifestyle associated with mine work.

“Miners need to navigate shift work, a male-dominated work culture and the cyclical nature of the industry, which we’ve seen have a particularly significant impact during the past year,” O’Neill said.