Shearer’s on the wine and it’s paying off

When footy players interact with alcohol it is rarely a positive outcome, but Dale ‘Rowdy’ Shearer has proven you can do great things with a good drop.

WHEN footy players interact with alcohol it is rarely a positive outcome.

But former State of Origin legend Dale 'Rowdy' Shearer has proven you can do great things with a couple of good bottles of red, or white for that matter.

Peregian local Dale Shearer has made huge leaps forward with his wine label Red Emu and is donating some of the profits to improving the mental health of Australia.

'It's good to be able to give back.' Dale 'Rowdy' Shearer with some of his Red Emu wines.

Rowdy has had his fair share of challenging times and he knows only too well the dark thoughts that can plague us.

"I have had my ups and downs," he said.

"Sometimes you stumble, but the world doesn't stop for no one."

The donated funds from his Red Emu wines will be used to support 'Emu Men', a group dedicated to supporting mental health and providing the opportunity for men, women and teenagers to learn the art of didgeridoo and coolamon making.

They have also set up a business called Li'l Emu to support the Indigenous Literacy Australia Foundation which assists children with reading at an early age.

Shearer working on his didgeridoo sills.

He has the support of established distributors and various retail outlets.

"We are talking with Qantas at the moment, they do about 4.5 million bottles a year," Shearer said.

LEAGUE LEGENDS: Shearer with another Manly Sea Eagles' superstar Cliff Lyons at an event for Red Emu.

The former league legend said now that his wine has taken off, he would be looking at starting lines of other alcohol products.

"We are going to do Rowdy's Rum," he said.

"Everyone gets rowdy on rum."

To find out more about Red Emu Wines go to the website.

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