Peg Mortimer was educated in Berri and at the Methodist Ladies' College, Adelaide. She served in the Australian Women's Army Service for three and a half years as a secretary, at Sandy Creek, Woodside, Dubbo, Greta, Bonegilla and in Sydney. She married a returned soldier in 1946, settled on the land, and raised two children. Her husband died of war injuries in 1969.
Mortimer worked as secretary for a Berril firm for many years. In 1973 she married Trevor Mortimer. She became interested in writing and painting, and studied painting under various teachers. She has illustrated a number of Riverland publications including First Vintage (1984) and Bi-Centennial Vintage (1988); anthologies of the Riverland Branch, FAW (1988) and Children's Rainbow Vintage (1991). She is a member of the Riverland and Mallee Writers' Group, and was a a foundation member of the Fellowship of Australian Writers Riverland Branch.
Mortimer writes for adults and for children. As well as the works listed here, she has also written Flood: Riverlanders Face the Flood of Fifty-Six (1985) and was co-author with Jan Chew and Dorie Loder of The Riverlanders: A Slice of Riverland History Spiced with Humour (1983). Mortimer composed the music for Renmark Centenary Song (1987), which was commissioned by the Renmark Centenary Committee. She took part in a travelling exhibition, Living Proof, honouring older citizens in photography, art and poetry.
Mortimer has worked for a number of Berri charities and in 1993 was made Berri Citizen of the Year. She has travelled to the UK and Europe, Bali and Singapore, and often visits Sydney, where she has relatives. Her second husband died suddenly in March 1999.
