Solitary blue tree painted in tribute to man who died by suicide is found burned to the ground 

A tribute which brought brightness to locals in a drought-stricken region of Queensland has been cruelly destroyed by vandals.  

The lone tree, which stood at Dirranbandi, was burned to the ground just months after it was painted as part of the Blue Tree Project.

The project began as a tribute to Jayden Whyte, a 29-year-old who died by suicide in 2018 after trying to seek help for his mental health the same day. 

At his funeral a story was read aloud which told of how Jayden pranked his father in 2014, by painting one of the trees on their family farm blue.

The story sparked the Blue Tree Project, which was founded to raise awareness of mental health issues and to remind people to check on their loved ones.  

Blue trees soon began to pop up all over Australia.  

In October, locals were particularly drawn to one blue tree in Dirranbandi. 

But just a few months after it was painted, the tree was destroyed by fire last week, leaving locals devastated.

‘My Dirranbandi commute was looking a little different this morning, someone burnt down the blue tree overnight, what is actually wrong with some people?’, one woman said. 

‘Really? So disappointing,’ another wrote.  

Since the beginning of the project over 400 trees have been painted. 

For anyone seeking support, contact the numbers below. 

Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.