Organisers of the White Elephant Ball are celebrating another success as they work to pay tribute to their loved one, Scott Campbell, who took his life in 2013 after battling depression.

Ball committee member Barton Leach said more than 570 people attended the ball on Saturday night in Tamworth, that had the theme of “a touch of Africa”.

He said most danced the night away to band Furnace and the Fundamentals, while helping the cause.

There was a serious note to the ball with Dr Happy (Dr Tim Sharp) speaking briefly about the Happiness Institute and Emily Herbert from Batyr spoke about what she does in Tamworth in training people to deliver presentations in schools about mental health.

The ball was to bring attention to depression and anxiety – often the “white elephant” in the room.

“With the money we raised last year, they were able to hire a local Batyr co-ordinator who, just last week, has started to go into schools and trains speakers to speak to the students,” Mr Leach said.

“I’m lucky enough to be one of the teachers at William Cowper and, after I spoke, the students had nothing but positive feedback. For 16-year-old boys to all say it was awesome was fantastic.”

Mr Leach said the main aims were to raise money, raise awareness and reduce the stigma of mental health.

“If people feel they need to talk to someone, we want them to feel like they can speak and that they’re not weak,” he said.

“If you’ve got depression, it’s not that you’re weak, you just have a mental health issue.”

Scott Newberry ran an auction that helped raise more than $50,000 for the cause, which Mr Leach said, had surpassed the committee’s hopes to raise $45,000.