William Ewart (1870-1899)

Bunbury HeraldSat 23 Dec 1899 Page 3Photo courtesy of the National Library of Australia — Bunbury Herald Sat 23 Dec 1899 Page 3
Photo courtesy of the National Library of Australia

Very little information exists on William Ewart and what does paints a lonely picture. William was born around 1870 (reference). When he was twenty-nine years old, he worked at the Collie Coalfields when he fell ill (reference). He was then admitted to the Bunbury Hospital on 14 November 1899 with phthisis, another name for tuberculosis (reference). After being admitted to the hospital, Blanche Frances Ashton remarks in her journal that he succumbed to the disease on Friday 21 December (reference). He was buried the following afternoon with his funeral conducted by Reverend H Darling with very little community attendance, if at all (reference). According to the newspapers, William had no friends in the district and only a relative in Perth (reference). Given the date of his death, William likely lies in the sand dunes of the Pioneer Cemetery in Bunbury.