Hewie was born in
Pretoria, South Africa, to Scottish emigrant parents and lived there for the first 21 years of his life. He developed a keen interest in sport while at school, notably
tennis and
hockey. Football however was his primary pastime and he honed his skills first with his employer's works team then local sides Arcadia and Johannesburg. In October 1949 the opportunity arose for Hewie to turn professional with English side
Charlton Athletic, who had already imported several other South African-based players. He would spend the next 19 years in south-east
London, making over 500 appearances for the
Addicks and playing in almost every position, including four times as an emergency goalkeeper when regular custodian
Mick Rose was injured. he again came into consideration for the Scottish squad, and soon made the first of a total of 19 full appearances, predominantly at fullback, during which he scored twice. He was selected in the squad for the
1958 FIFA World Cup and missed a
penalty in the 2–1 defeat by
France. ==Baseball==