James L. "Jim" Stewart was an Australian rules football

Australian rules football

Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...

er who played with North Melbourne

North Melbourne Football Club

The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...

 in the Victorian Football League

Australian Football League

The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

 (VFL).

Stewart could only manage six appearances in his first two league seasons but was a good performer in the reserves, winning the club's reserves "Best and Fairest" in 1939. His efforts that year earned him more regular games in 1940, with 13 games and 10 goals. He then played 16 of North Melbourne's 18 games in 1941 and won their "most consistent player" award.

Before the 1942 season, Stewart fell seriously ill with appendicitis

Appendicitis

Appendicitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the appendix. It is classified as a medical emergency and many cases require removal of the inflamed appendix, either by laparotomy or laparoscopy. Untreated, mortality is high, mainly because of the risk of rupture leading to...

 and died on 31 January following an operation at Royal Melbourne Hospital

Royal Melbourne Hospital

The Royal Melbourne Hospital , located in Parkville, Victoria an inner suburb of Melbourne is one of Australia’s leading public hospitals. It is a major teaching hospital for tertiary health care with a reputation in clinical research...

.