Bill Sewart

William Isaac Sewart (12 November 1881 – 13 December 1928) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL).[1] He was also a first-class cricketer, representing both Queensland and Victoria.

Bill Sewart
Personal information
Full name William Isaac Sewart
Date of birth 12 November 1881
Place of birth Allendale East, South Australia
Date of death 13 December 1928(1928-12-13) (aged 47)
Place of death Caulfield, Victoria
Original team(s) Castlemaine
Debut Round 2, 1905, Essendon
vs. Geelong, at East Melbourne
Height 175 cm (5 ft 9 in)
Weight 76 kg (168 lb)
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1905–1915 Essendon 171 (7)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1915.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Family

The son of Myles and Mary Ann Sewart, née Lock, he was born on 12 November 1881 at Allendale East, South Australia, and married Annie Roseman (1883–1931) in 1909.[2]

Footballer

In his youth, he was considered to be one of the best all-round athletes his district had ever produced.[3]

A centre-man, he was recruited by Essendon in 1905 from the Bendigo club Castlemaine.

He played in 161 senior home-and-away games and ten finals matches for Essendon, kicking seven goals. He played in Essendon's 1911 and 1912 premiership teams.

He represented Victoria three times:[4] in an intrastate match against a combined Ballarat District team, at the MCG, on 23 June 1906,[5] and, although not originally selected,[6] in an intrastate match against a combined Ballarat District team, at the MCG, on 8 June 1907,[7] and in an interstate match against South Australia, on 6 July 1912, at the MCG.[8][9]

He was Essendon's vice-captain in 1914 and 1915.

Coach
1919 VFA Premiership Team (Footscray).
Bill Sewart (in coat and tie) is seated at left of the second row.[10]

When he returned to Australia from his overseas service with the AIF, aged 38, he became coach of the Victorian Football Association (VFA) team, Footscray.[11]

Initially playing as captain-coach[12]— he resigned as captain in early July 1919,[13] and played two more matches before retiring altogether[14] — he coached Footscray to a premiership win against North Melbourne in the 1919 VFA season.[15]

Cricketer

He played District cricket with the Carlton Cricket Club.[16]

In Sewart's 13 first-class cricket matches he made 435 runs at 20.71. Two of those matches were for Queensland in the 1908/09 summer while the rest were with Victoria. He represented Victoria in the 1909/10 and 1913/14 Sheffield Shield seasons.[17]

Only twice did he pass 50 in a match and both of those innings came against Tasmania at the MCG in January 1913. His scores of 143 and 69 not out was not enough however to prevent a Tasmanian victory. Victoria's team in that match included Patrick "Paddy" Shea, his Essendon teammate, as well as Fitzroy premiership player Chris Kiernan.[18]

Whilst serving in the AIF, he played in an international match for an Australian military team, against an Indian team, at Lords, on Saturday, 11 August 1917.[19]

Soldier

Enlisting on 18 January 1916, listing his occupation as draughtsman, employed by the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works, he served as a private in the 3rd Pioneer Battalion, First AIF.

Whilst in England, he played for the (winning) Third Australian Divisional team in the famous "Pioneer Exhibition Game" of Australian Rules football, held in London, in October 1916. A news film was taken at the match.[20][21]

Hospitalized in early 1917 with "an affection of the throat",[22] it was, later, considered that he had chronic bronchitis and "incipient tuberculosis" (on examining Seward, the army Medical Officer reported on 5 January 1918 that he "could not stand winter conditions in France"),[23] he returned to Australia on 19 October 1917,[24] and was discharged on medical grounds on 24 January 1918.[25]

Death

He died at the Caulfield Military Hospital on 13 December 1928.[26][27][28]

He is commemorated on the Roll of Honour of employees of the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works who enlisted for active service in the First World War.[29]

See also

Footnotes
  1. According to Maplestone (1996, p. 66) he was also known as "Billy 'Pimp' Sewart" during his time at Essendon.
  2. Deaths; Sewart, The Age, (Monday, 28 December 1931), p. 1.
  3. Obituary: Mr. William I. Sewart, The (Adelaide) Register, (Monday, 24 December 1928), p. 19.
  4. Mapleston (1996), p. 379.
  5. Observer, "Football: An Off Day: The Ballarat Visit", The Argus, (Monday, 25 June 1906), p. 4.
  6. Football: Victorian League, The Argus, (Thursday, 6 June 1907), p. 7.
  7. Observer, "The League v. Ballarat: A One-Sided Match", The Argus, (Monday, 10 June 1907), p. 5.
  8. Football: Interstate Contests: South Australia v. Victoria, The (Adelaide) Register, (Saturday, 6 July 1912), p. 13.
  9. Observer, "Interstate Football: Victoria v. South Australia:The Home Team Win", The Argus, (Monday, 8 July 1912), p. 12.
  10. Museum Victoria: Team Photograph
  11. Notes, The (Footscray) Independent, (Saturday, 22 March 1919), p. 3.
  12. Association Matches: Footscray (14.16)—Prahran (2.7), The Age, (Monday, 5 May 1919), p. 9; The Association: Footscray's Century, The Argus, (Monday, 5 May 1919), p. 9; The Association: Footscray's Easy Win, The Argus, (Monday, 26 May 1919), p. 5.
  13. The Association, The (Melbourne) Herald, (Friday, 4 July 1919), p. 8.
  14. Football, The (Footscray) Independent, (Saturday, 19 July 1919), p. 1; North Melbourne v. Footscray, The (Footscray) Independent, (Saturday, 19 July 1919), p. 3.
  15. Old Boy, "Association: Premiers", The Argus, (Monday, 29 September 1919), p. 9.
  16. Cricketer Welcomed Home, The (Emerald Hill) Record, (Saturday, 12 January 1918), p. 2; Member of Victorian Eleven, The Weekly Times, (Saturday, 21 December 1918), p. 21.
  17. "First-Class Matches played by William Sewart". CricketArchive.
  18. "Victoria v Tasmania 1912/13". CricketArchive.
  19. Soldiers to Play Cricket, The Warrnambool Standard, (Friday, 10 August 1917), p. 3.
  20. The original newsreel: Australian Football (Pathé Newsreel, 1916) on YouTube
  21. The 2019 remastered and colourised version of the original newsreel: Australian Football (Pathé Newsreel, 1916), remastered and colourised version (2019) on YouTube
  22. Private W. Sewart, The Winner, (Wednesday, 21 March 1917), p. 8.
  23. Service record, p. 23.
  24. Nominal Roll: 47-044.
  25. Service Record, p. 18.
  26. Deaths: Sewart, The Argus, (Monday, 17 December 1928), p. 1.
  27. Judicial and Law Notices: Probate: William Isaac Sewart, The Argus', (Thursday, 20 December 1928), p. 21.
  28. Bereavement Card: Sewart, The Argus, (Thursday, 10 January 1929), p. 1.
  29. Australian War Memorial photograph P01222.001.

References
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