Having lived with bi-polar disorder, he said for years he had battled the demons in his mind. It is a struggle he channelled into a crusade for advocacy. 

The former boxer and Rabbitohs player, suicide survivor and proud Wiradjuri man on Wednesday launched his book, Defying the Enemy Within. 

Having travelled across the world to educate children and adults about mental health and suicide prevention, Mr Williams said for the first time, he was telling his story from A to Z – “roots and all”. 

“Everyone has mental health,” Mr Williams said. “For some people it’s positive and for others it’s negative and we need to be able to talk about it, either way.”

The Wagga man said the process of writing the 60,000 words had been healing and he hoped readers would be encouraged through his story. 

“The more we talk about it, the more it breaks down a stigma,” Mr Williams said. “It is a tool for education.” 

Mr Williams chose Wagga to launch his book, now in stores across the country, because he said his hometown had a special place in his heart.

“I’ve had a lot of support from people here,” he said.