The 39-year-old Kretschmann Engineering employee occasionally visited Kev’s Convenience Store to buy milk or newspapers.

Store owner Kevin Spanner, 77, said Mr Hinder visited the store after a long absence three weeks ago, looking downcast.

Mr Spanner confirmed the customer he referred to was Mr Hinder after being shown a photograph of Charlie and wife Kath and two children River, 4, and Nyobi, 7, which was taken at a mother's day fete last year.

“He said ‘I’m down, I’m real, real down, I am getting a rough time,’” Mr Spanner said on Wednesday.

“I said to him ‘maybe you need a little time away.’ ‘No,’ he said. ‘I am not leaving my kids.’”

About three days before the explosion Mr Hinder returned to the store.

“I said ‘how is it going?’ and his hands went wide out as he said ‘still the same.’”

Mr Spanner said he was concerned by Mr Hinder’s demeanour but did not know who to consult.

“I could not think of anyone except the police and they could not do anything because no crime was committed.

“There needs to be someone that can come and talk to them.”

Mr Spanner described his customer as “a good little fellow.”

“He was no hassles, no rubbish, he was what – you know – what I would call ‘top of the crop’.”

* Help is available for anyone feeling distressed: 13 11 14