Last New Year’s Eve, Brendan Nugent barged into his father’s home, ranting. It was the first time Rodney had seen his son in years.

Nugent, once known in Wangaratta as a passionate environmentalist and talented high school footballer, was again in the grip of the mental health struggles that had caused him to grow increasingly isolated and erratic.

No one visited his overgrown house outside town any more. His family hired a mediator to handle his needs, but by October this year, Nugent had fired them.

While Wangaratta is the gateway to the lush, green hills of Victoria’s north-eastern Alpine country, to some experts it’s known as a desert. Health and extremism researchers have been warning of a dangerous vacuum of mental health services out here – where people often live in makeshift shelters and bungalows, off-grid , and unaccounted for, and locals say so-called “sovereign citizen” anti-government ideas are brewing.

Brendan Nugent and the house where he lived.…