"I was dumped on my head playing in a rugby league semi-final at Port Macquarie,'' Orr, now 25 recalls.

"I was in hospital for two weeks and I couldn't move. It was pretty scary.''

Orr underwent surgery to fuse his C4 and C5 vertebrae. He still has a metal plate in his neck.

"I can't play contact sport again,'' he explained.

"And all sport was out for two years after I got out of hospital.''

When given the all clear Orr hit the gym, initially as part of his rehabilitation while he also wanted to build up and regain some strength. He didn't know at the time he was on the path to another sporting passion.

Fast forward to last weekend and Orr - in his first bodybuilding competition, won three events at the North Coast Regional titles in Newcastle. He took out the first timers, novice and open divisions and was later named Mr North Coast. This now enables him to compete at the Australian championships in Canberra on October 4, just a week after the contests the State titles in Sydney. The State will be his next major tournament.

Orr admits he was surprised with his success in the North Coast event.

"I was hoping to go alright in the first timers and novice, but I didn't expect to win the open division,'' he said.

Getting into body building was a gradual thing, he said.

As he started to put on a bit of muscle and gain strength, it was suggested to he give it a crack. Initially he was reluctant.

"But then I thought, why not? I'll give it a go and see how I go. The worst that can happen is that I lose.''

Orr is self taught and he concedes there's some aspects of the sport he's still not that comfortable with - posing in the briefest of briefs particularly.

"Even in training on my own I get embarrassed about doing that,'' he said

"I was really nervous before the first competition. I thought, holy crap, how am I going to do this?''

But everything changed when he walked on the stage.

"My family and friends were there and they gave me great support. I heard this loud cheer and they started yelling my name. From there it was okay.''

Orr will now have a bit of a break from training and will modify his diet before starting his preparation for the Australian titles.

He's also considering getting some coaching.

"Just for encouragement as well as advice - letting me know if I'm on the right program,'' he explained

Orr is unsure how far he wants to go in the sport although a strong performance at the Australian will give him a national ranking.

He'll contest the three events he won at Newcastle at the Australian championships.

"I'd like to get a top 10 placing in the open division,'' he said.

"If I do that I'll see what happens from there.''