BIO

William 'Slogger' Guster came to Norwood from the junior club Medindie and as a follower was a steady contributor to the hat trick of premierships in 1887, 1888 and 1889.  In his twilight years he returned to Medindie, by then a senior team in the SA Football Association, and served as captain in 1892, the year before the club changed its name to North Adelaide.

William was a consistent player in 1887 when Norwood celebrated its seventh premiership, finishing a tiny percentage margin ahead of Port Adelaide.  Norwood was dominant in 1888, not only winning the premiership but also the Championship of Australia with three victories over South Melbourne at Kensington Oval.  ‘Follower’, in his retrospect of the season for The Advertiser, wrote: “The followers were very strong, consisting as they did of Guster, Dixon, McGrath, and McGaffin.” William kicked a vital goal the following year in South Australia’s first grand final, with Norwood defeating Port 7.4 to 5.9 (behinds not counting in those days).

William was born on 17 October 1866, the eldest son of Isaac Guster, a builder, and his wife Margaret, née Roache. He had at least 14 siblings and half-siblings.

He may well have been the W. Guster who was playing cricket for St John’s in the Young Men’s Christian Association in 1882.  A player called Guster was kicking goals for the junior football team Royal United in 1883. W. Guster was an athlete who competed at the opening of the new Stepney Oval in December 1884.  

A William Guster was charged with insulting behavior in October 1883.  The arresting constable said that Guster had come out of a Tuesday night religious assemblage in the city in the company of a number of other lads, who had begun calling out ‘Skeleton’ and singing Salvation Army songs at the top of their voices. Guster was fined £2 plus costs.

In 1889 William Guster married Amy Isobel Brooke, the fifth daughter of Sam Brooke, of Magill Road, Norwood.  The couple had four children, Fred, Eric, Dora and Leonard.  William was 78 when he died on 1 April 1945.