"I could see him in the background while I was serving the bacon and egg rolls and I could tell he was waiting for an opportunity to talk to me," Mr Meredith said.

Mr Meredith, a Detective Sergreant with Orana Mid Western Police, got that chance soon after and while the face of the man was familiar, he couldn't place him.

"I vaguely recognised his face," he recalled.

"Then he said 'you saved my life'."

Mr Meredith couldn't even remember the exact moment but it came during his many years as a police officer. He had spoken to the man who was "suffering from mental health" at the time.

"The impact of that, the first conversation," Mr Meredith said.

"He told me I got some police to follow-up and see him in the next few days to see how he was going. He said 'you have no idea what impact that had on me. You saved my life'."

For Mr Meredith, that's what makes the Tradies Breakfast so worthwhile.

The event has been running since 2018 in memory of Mark and Liz Meredith's son, Perry, who died by suicide only two years earlier.

It celebrates the life of 'Pez' but also promotes the need to have that first conversation and check in with your mates.

"One in five people, at some stage of their life, will experience mental health," Mr Meredith said.

"The Tradies Breakfast is all about coming together on that day and celebrating Pez's life and that's what we need to do and what we love to do, talk about him.

"But it's about talking to all those people that come along on the day and ask 'how are you going?'."

The event is particularly important given the current situation many people and families find themselves in.

The rising cost of living is putting more pressure on households and Mr Meredith knows something simple like putting fuel in the ute or food on the table is more difficult than it once was.

"There's so much that can impact us now," he said.

"There's a lot of pressure so I think it's encouraging for people to talk and that's what this is all about."

A well-known tradie and rugby league player with the Macquarie Raiders, Perry's death affected a huge section of the Dubbo community. The impact he had is shown each year by the amount of people who attend the breakfast, which is run in conjunction with mental health organisation LIVIN.

LIVIN promotes the 'it ain't weak to speak' message and works to break the stigma around mental health. The organisation has had a profound effect on the Meredith family.

The association between the two started via LIVIN's work with the Group 11 rugby league competition and the Merediths connection to the Macquarie Raiders, where Mark was once club president.

"There was a seminar that the LIVIN organisation ran and back then we didn't really want to get involved because I was still grieving," Mr Meredith said.

"But Liz and I went along and the impact was amazing. It just resonated with me that day about how important it is to talk about these things, talk about your experiences and listen to others about their experiences.

"I think that's a huge issue. We need to listen more. Active listening, if you like. We have to ask hard questions and sometimes it's not that difficult to start the conversation.

"When you do start it, so much pressure is off."

A huge amount of people and businesses have jumped onboard with the breakfast, which will again be held at Ingenia Gardens on Wheelers Lane on Saturday, April 20.

Members of the retirement village make craft and bric-a-brac which will be available to buy on the day.

There will be sausage sandwiches, bacon and egg rolls, coffee and cakes and a raffle offering plenty of prizes which have all been donated.

"The commitment of businesses and organisations around town has just been fantastic," Mr Meredith said.

"It's so, so humbling and it's the legacy Perry leaves in this town."

Everyone is welcome to attend the Tradies Breakfast, which will start from roughly 7am.