At the age of 17 his father took his own life and Mr McDonald spiralled into a deep depression.

“He left behind six kids and we just had to battle on,” Mr McDonald said.

His father was a hardworking old-school man who didn’t talk much.

“He never talked about anything like that,” Mr McDonald said.

The 57-year-old recalls the night he went to work at the telephone exchange in Mortlake.

“My father followed me outside and said ‘I’ll see you later and shook my hand’.”

Mr McDonald thought this was a bit odd.

Sadly, he would receive a devastating phone call later that night to inform him his father had committed suicide. “I was just numb all over – in shock I guess,” Mr McDonald said.

Just like his father, Mr McDonald bottled up his feelings: “I just went into a deep rabbit hole for the next couple of years – drinking, fighting and hating my life,” Mr McDonald said. “Back then we just never talked about things.”

His wife Jane proved a godsend. “She talked and talked about what happened that night and it all came flooding out of me,” Mr McDonald said. He said he had finally come to terms with what happened to his father.

Mr McDonald urged people experiencing hard times to talk to someone.

“Talk to a friend or anybody as soon as you can – don’t bottle it up,” he said.

Mr McDonald said he wished he had talked about his issues earlier: “It’s like a balloon – you let a little bit of air out every time you talk,” he said.

Mr McDonald shared his story in a bid to help others and support the Let’s Talk foundation. If you or someone you know is experiencing an emotional crisis, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.