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]
1912 VFL Premiership Team (Essendon). Bill Sewart is second player from right, back row.[3]The Third Australian Divisional Team: 28 October 1916.[4] Bill Sewart is the first player from left, front row.
In his youth, he was considered to be one of the best all-round athletes his district had ever produced.[5]
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:[6] in an intrastate match against a combined Ballarat District team, at the MCG, on 23 June 1906,[7] and, although not originally selected,[8] in an intrastate match against a combined Ballarat District team, at the MCG, on 8 June 1907,[9] and in an interstate match against South Australia, on 6 July 1912, at the MCG.[10][11]
Initially playing as captain-coach[13]— he resigned as captain in early July 1919,[14] and played two more matches before retiring altogether[15] — he coached Footscray to a premiership win against North Melbourne in the 1919 VFA season.[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.[18]
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.[19]
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.[20]
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.
Hospitalized in early 1917 with "an affection of the throat",[23] 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"),[24] he returned to Australia on 19 October 1917,[25] and was discharged on medical grounds on 24 January 1918.[26]
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.[30]
