He had been fighting his own mental health battles for a long time, and came pretty close to the edge.

"I'd had a bit of depression on and off all my life, then I injured my spine at work and I couldn't do anything. I couldn't exercise, I gained weight, and my mental health got pretty bad," he said.

"When my friend took his life he had three kids, I had three kids, and I thought: that could have been me.

"I could have fallen that far."

Seeing the devastating aftermath of his friend's death and the impact it had on those around him spurred him into action. He founded the Black Dog Cruise, raising funds for Beyond Blue while raising awareness of depression, anxiety and suicide.

The event, now in its fourth year, saw a strong turnout when it ran from Geelong to Warrnambool's Premier Speedway on Saturday.

"We had a lot more people than we thought turn out, with about 150 cars," Mr Brown said.

"Depression, anxiety and suicide can affect anyone, so we always encourage anyone to take part in it, you don't need a special car.

"It definitely got people talking about mental health."

Mr Brown said the car community had seen a lot of suicide-related deaths over the recent years which made the event all the more important.

"We first started out with 'It Ain't Weak To Speak' because blokes in particular find it hard to talk about mental health, or are made to believe they are weak if they talk about their feelings," he said.

"I think it's starting to get talked about a lot more.

"I've had a lot of men come up to me when they see my car on the street, especially farmers, who thank me for providing an outlet for people to get together and talk about these things."

The event has raised over $15,000 for Beyond Blue over the last three years.

Mr Brown hoped they could crack the $20,000 mark this year through their raffles, giveaway, auction and trophies.

"Every little bit adds up," he said.

If you or anyone you know is struggling, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

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