Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Early Life

Ewart Maurice Weatherill was born on the 26th of February 1889, the son of the Rev. Thomas Weatherill Jnr. and Frances Howgate. Ewart was born at Moonta Mines, Yorke Peninsula, South Australia.

Ewart’s father was a Primitive Methodist Minister who was born at Whitby, Yorkshire, UK and in 1885 travelled to South Australia at the invitation of the church.

Schooling

Ewart was in Class III at the Laura Public School in 1901. In May 1905, he was a monitor at the Spring Creek School, near Wilmington, SA. Ewart sat the Pupil Teacher candidate exams at Moonta Mines and passed Class II, Division B in January 1907. He passed two subjects in the Junior Examinations and passed the Pupil Teacher entrance examinations in December 1907.

Ewart then attended the Pupil Teacher School (became Adelaide High School (AHS) in 1908) and in January 1909, he was promoted from Pupil Teacher Grade I to Grade II. While at AHS, Ewart played Lacrosse for the YMCA. In August 1909, he captained the AHS present boys in a football match against an old scholar’s team.

In December 1909, Ewart passed a further three subjects in the Junior Examinations. He was promoted from Pupil Teacher Grade 2 to Pupil Teacher Grade III at the Moonta Mines School. In March 1910, Ewart represented the YMCA in a cricket match against Bendigo.

Ewart was teaching at Moonta in 1911 and was selected to play lacrosse for the Yorke Peninsula Senior team in a match against Port Pirie in June 1911. He became the secretary of the Moonta Lacrosse Club and their delegate to the association. Ewart played cricket for the Moonta Mines Turks in the 1911/12 and 1912/13 seasons. He also played the first half of the 1913/14 season for the Turks.

Adelaide University

Ewart studied Arts and Science subjects at Adelaide University in 1914 and 1915 as a non-graduating student while attending the University Training College (later the Teachers Training College). He also passed First Grade Geometry at the School of Arts examinations in December 1914. During this period, he also underwent cadet training. The photo (see document) taken at Jubilee Oval appears to have been taken at the time of a cricket match.

It is unclear where Ewart was teaching in 1914 but in 1915 he was at the Gilles Street School and in September 1915 he was appointed to the Wallaroo School, probably from the commencement of the 1916 school year, as he continued to play sport for the University and joined up for WWI in January 1916.

University Sport

Cricket
Ewart commenced playing cricket for the Adelaide University B Grade in February of the 1913/14 season. In October 1914, Ewart played in a practice match with the University B team against St Peter’s College, scoring a “magnificent” 73 (retired). Ewart then played A Grade for the University in the 1914/15 and 1915/16 seasons.

Lacrosse
Ewart played Lacrosse for Adelaide University in the 1914 and 1915 seasons. In 1914 he was part of the team defeated by Sturt in the A Grade Lacrosse Grand Final. Ewart represented Adelaide University at the Intervarsity Lacrosse in 1914.

World War I

Ewart Maurice Weatherill enlisted as a Private (SN 12686) in the 11th Field Ambulance on the 17th of January 1916. He gave his mother, Mrs. F. Weatherill of Mallala, South Australia, as his next-of-kin.

Ewart was 26 years and 11 months old, 5’5”, 146 lbs, with a medium complexion, blue eyes and dark hair. He embarked onboard the HMAT Suevic from Adelaide on the 31st of May 1916 and proceeded overseas to France via Southampton on the 24th of November 1916. Ewart was sick from Christmas Day 1916, to New Year’s Day of 1917.

He had a brief period of leave in February 1918. After hostilities ceased Ewart had leave in London in late January to early February 1919 before returning to France. From 29th April 1919 Ewart was based at Codford, UK.

Ewart’s brothers William Arthur (b 1879 SN 1027) and Joseph Cook (SN 456 and S213585 WWII, b 1889) also served in WWI.

Ewart was on the nursing staff of the former German passenger ship the Konig Frederich August (ceded to England as War reparations) which arrived back in South Australia on the 6th of August 1919. He was discharged on the 21st of September 1919.

Career & Family Life

Ewart played District Cricket for Sturt in 1919/20 and North Adelaide in 1921/22 and 1924/25 seasons.

In March 1921, Ewart became engaged to Olive Amy Streeter, the sister of Mrs Frank Burton. The couple married later in 1921.

From 1922 to 1924, Ewart was teaching at Mt Bryan, 20 kilometres (12 miles) north of Burra, SA. He played cricket for Mt Bryan in the Burra Association. Ewart was the main strike bowler for Mt Bryan in both innings of a winning Grand Final against Kooringa in April 1924 taking 6 for 35 and 6 for 11.

In January 1924 Ewart had returned to play A Grade District cricket with a well compiled 98 not out for North Adelaide. He had been absent from A Grade cricket for over two years. Later in the 1924/25 season he scored 121 not out against Colts. He appears to have played for North Adelaide during the summer school holidays.

In September 1924, Ewart attended an agriculture course organised by the Education Department.

In April 1926, Ewart’s mother passed away in her seventy third year.

In May 1926 Ewart attended a woodwork course run by the Education Department at the Gilles Street Woodwork School.

Ewart was still teaching at Mt Bryan in 1929 and he was the President of the Hallett and District Athletic and Exhibition Association.

In October 1929, Ewart’s father, Rev Thomas Weatherill passed away, aged eighty-one.

In January 1930, Ewart competed in a Teachers versus Teachers’ College cricket match.

Ewart moved from Mount Bryan in February 1930 to be Headmaster at Cummins on Eyre Peninsula. Ewart and his wife spent the Christmas vacations of 1930/31 in Adelaide. By July 1931, Ewart was the editor of the Cummins Review and by March 1933, he was Secretary of the Cummins-Yeelanna sub-branch of the RSL. Ewart played cricket for the local team at Cummins.

In December 1933, Ewart was selected for the first ex-AIF men’s interstate match of cricket (South Australia versus Victoria). The competition later became a triangular competition including Western Australia. The ‘Ashes’ trophy for the competition was made by burning a stump souvenired by C.E. “Nip” Pellew at the conclusion of an AIF match played in England shortly after the end of WWI. The match in 1937 against WA was played at ‘beautiful University Oval’. Ewart played in every match of the competition from 1933-1938 when the competition was suspended due to WWII.

In August 1939, Ewart was appointed to the city school of Kilkenny. The people of Cummins gave a farewell social to the Mr and Mrs Weatherill in September 1939. Ewart had been Headmaster at the Cummins School for 10 years and had been actively involved in the Great Flinders Football Association, the Cummins Cricket Club, the Methodist Church and the community general.

By May 1940, Ewart was Chairman of the Kilkenny Primary School Mothers’ Club. He was still at Kilkenny in August 1945 when the Mayor of Woodville opened a hobbies room at the Kilkenny Public School and in November 1948 when the school library was opened.

After WWII the ex-AIF men of 1914-18 recommenced their annual cricket competition and Ewart played in all the matches from 1946-1950.

Ewart was still Headmaster at the Kilkenny Primary School in July 1952 when the school commenced classes for children with hearing disabilities, however he may have retired prior to his death in April 1953, as he was referred to in his death notice as “late 1st AIF and Education Department”.

Death

Ewart Maurice Weatherill passed away on the 23rd of April 1953, in his 65th year. He died suddenly at his residence, 136 Second Avenue, Royston Park. He left a widow, Olive Amy. He was buried at Centennial Park Cemetery, Adelaide, SA on the 24th of April 1953. Olive passed away on the 31st of August 1968 and was buried with Ewart at Centennial Park.

Author EE (Beth) Filmer

For the complete profile including photographs, newspaper articles, documents and sources prepared for the AUFC/AUCC WWI Memorial Project (in the period 2015-2019) please see the document attached.