SWITCHING from professional rugby league to the wine industry was a big sidestep for Daniel Mortimer – but the former NRL star is loving every minute of it.

Mortimer now helps run the family vineyard at Orange – Mortimers Wines – and has been locked in as guest speaker at the Moree Race Club’s huge charity ball on Friday, August 29 at Moree racecourse.

The ball, supported by Grays Online, is the launch pad for the new-look Moree Cup weekend, and a huge fundraiser for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service.

Mortimer, 36, is now sales executive and cellar door manager at Mortimers Wines – a diverse shift from his days in the NRL with Parramatta Eels, Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, Sydney Roosters and Gold Coast Titans.

Mortimer was also a Prime Minister’s XIII representative and won the 2013 NRL grand final with the Roosters.

He last played for Leigh Centurions in the UK Rugby Football League Championship in 2017-2018, and retired soon after because of injuries.

As far as rugby league bloodlines go, to use racing parlance, it doesn’t get much better.

Mortimer is the son of former Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs great Peter Mortimer and the nephew of former Bulldogs players Steve Mortimer and Chris Mortimer.

He now works with his family at Mortimers Wines, established when the family purchased 45 acres of land north of Orange in 1993.

“I’m very proud of our family’s accomplishments in rugby league, but I’m even prouder of what’s in a bottle of our wine,” Mortimer said.

“I genuinely love what we do, and pouring a glass of Mortimers wine from vines I helped plant when I was six years old is extremely rewarding.”

Mortimer has made the move from five-eighth and halfback to vintner with ease.

“Retiring from professional sport certainly left a big hole,” he said.

“It consumed my life from ages 12 to 30, so it’s always a challenge for players to find purpose and happiness in work after rugby league.

“I was extremely fortunate to stumble back into the family business and it has certainly filled the void.

“Becoming a father – to three kids now – has also given me purpose since retiring from sport,” he said.

The family vineyard is now firmly entrenched in the Australian wine industry.

In 1995, more than 24,000 vine rootlings made up of chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon and shiraz were planted on the property.

Pinot noir and merlot vines have since been added and in 2004 the Mortimers purchased the historic March Schoolhouse from the local council.

The schoolhouse, perfectly positioned near the entrance to Mortimers Wines, was opened in 1866 and closed 110 years later.

The schoolhouse now doubles as Mortimers Wines’ cellar door and also displays historic, local mementos going back 150 years as well as plenty of Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs’ memorabilia.

Being stationed in the schoolhouse and greeting guests is Mortimer’s favourite part of the job.

“I do love working in the vines – it’s incredibly peaceful – but my favourite place on earth is our cellar door,” Mortimer said.

“The cellar door is a beautifully restored public schoolhouse where people come from all over Australia to taste our wines.

“It’s fantastic to meet the people and hear their stories, and there is plenty of footy chat added to wine conversations,” he said.

Mortimer says life on the farm, while incredibly busy, is not much different to life in the NRL.

“It is similar in terms of the way it consumes you,” Mortimer said.

“You really have to go all-in, but it’s a great way to spend your life – it’s such a diverse job.

“It comes with very different stresses and pressures, but no doubt my NRL career has helped prepare me for life on a winery,” he said.

Mortimers Wines is also the official wine partner of the Carnival Of Cups, a New South Wales harness racing series.

“This allows me to follow the calendar and pour our wines to guests,” Mortimer smiled.

This year also celebrates 50 Years of the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service.

The extraordinary service has been the lifeline for thousands of people across New South Wales for five decades, responding to emergencies with courage, precision and compassion.

From humble beginnings in 1975, with a single helicopter and a bold vision, to the world-class aeromedical service it is today, the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service has never wavered in its mission – to save lives, deliver hope, and serve communities.

In the past 50 years, the service has completed more than 60,000 missions and provided critical care to people in remote, rural and regional areas.

The service operates 365 days a year, in all conditions, and is funded by the community, for the community.

The 50-year milestone is not just about helicopters and missions – it’s about the pilots, paramedics, doctors, engineers, volunteers, and donors who make it all happen.

“I am amazed by the research I’ve done regarding the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service,” Mortimer said.

“The service literally saves the lives of our own communities and it’s 100 per cent funded by charity – if anyone ever needs an example of what the Australian spirit looks like, this is it.

“One of my best mate’s dad was air-lifted to Sydney after a horrific accident two years ago that left him a quadriplegic.

“Without services like the Westpac rescue chopper, we would have lost him, and many more rural men and women,” Mortimer said.

The Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service Moree Volunteer Support Group will hold its annual general meeting in September and invites new members to go along and discover what volunteering for such a vital service is all about.

The local AGM and general meeting will be held at Moree Golf Club on Tuesday, September 9 at 5.30pm.

For more information, contact Libby Smith on 0447 056281.

Meanwhile, Moree Race Club has put together a new-look Moree Cup Carnival, with Agri Storage and Logistics locked in as new sponsor for the Moree Cup on Sunday, August 31.

The family race-day will feature Fashions on the Field sponsored by Beauty Matters Moree, plenty of kids’ activities and trackside marquee for all race-goers.

The eight-race card, with a whopping $300,000 prize money, features the $55,000 Agri Storage and Logistics Moree Cup (1400m), $50,000 Moree Super Maiden (1400m) and $35,000 Moree Town Plate (950m).

Supporting races, each worth $35,000, include a 1200m country boosted class 1 handicap and 950m country boosted maiden handicap, with a 1300m BM-58 handicap, 950m class 3 handicap and 1600m class 1 and maiden plate each worth $30,000.

Moree Race Club Cup Weekend and Fundraiser

When: August 29-30-31

Where: Moree racecourse

August 29: Grays Online Charity Ball at Moree racecourse, from 5.30pm

August 31: Moree Cup race meeting at Moree racecourse, from midday

Tickets for all events: Agri Storage and Logistics Moree Cup Weekend of Racing