Neo Nazi Thomas Sewell as you’ve never seen him before – and how multicultural life at his fancy public school fuelled his life of hate
Striking new photographs of neo-Nazi Thomas Sewell have surfaced, as the focus turns to how his teenage years at a multicultural high school may have fuelled his extremist views.
Sewell, 32, is the founder of Australian far-right extremist group the National Socialist Network, which promotes white supremacy and antisemitic ideology.
On Friday, he was found guilty on three charges of intimidation of a law enforcement officer, and his wife, over targeted threats to expose his personal information.
He was ordered to do 200 hours of community work when he’s released from jail on other charges after unsuccessfully representing himself at a week-long trial in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court.
But before his infamous rise as Australia’s notorious moustached and bullet-headed neo-Nazi leader, New Zealand-born Sewell once looked very, very different.
As a young child, he moved to Melbourne with his brother Hugo and parents Anne and Tony.
He attended Balwyn High School in Melbourne’s east, a co-educational school with a predominantly Asian student population.
As a teenager in 2009, alongside his school squash team, Sewell was snapped looking awkward and unrecognisable, sporting a thick mop of shaggy hair.
Neo-Nazi leader Thomas Sewell was denied bail in a Melbourne court after he allegedly led an attack on a sacred Indigenous burial site
Thomas Sewell in a Balwyn High School squash team photo from 2009
He has since undergone a dramatic transformation, with his hair all but receded, leaving him with a shaved head synonymous with his extremist ‘skinhead’ identity.
Sewell later joined the Australian Army in 2012, quitting in 2014 before beginning but not completing civil engineering studies at Swinburne University.
Between 2016 and 2018, he worked in residential care for children at risk.
Business records indicate he briefly went into business in 2016, serving as director for just five weeks at Compass One Pty Ltd alongside two Asian men.
He later worked at a plumbing and roofing company, where his employer described him as courteous, respectful and dependable in a testimonial provided for a court appearance following his arrest for attacking a group of hikers in 2021.
His father Tony told Melbourne Magistrates’ Court that he did not share his son’s beliefs, describing their relationship as ‘cordial’ and ‘normal’.
In his testimonial, Sewell senior described his son as disciplined, with ‘a strong work ethic’ and ‘a sense of fair play’.
Photos on his public Facebook account also show a close and doting relationship with Sewell’s two young daughters, aged two and eight months.
The NSN leader pictured around 2016, before embracing his skin-head identity
Sewell pictured sporting a receding hairline
He further described his son as an above-average student who excelled in sport and enjoyed solving problems and helping others less fortunate than himself.
His comments contrast sharply with those of the family of fellow NSN member Nathan Bull, who publicly disowned their son after his alleged involvement in an attack on an Indigenous sacred site.’ for elegance.
On 31 August 2025, following an anti-immigration rally in Melbourne, a group of men allegedly stormed Camp Sovereignty, a First Nations protest camp in King’s Domain.
The group is accused of violent disorder, affray, assault and other offences, with several people injured, including one woman who needed staples to treat a head injury and others with minor wounds.
Police allege the group was led by Sewell, who has been charged with 25 offences including violent disorder, affray, assault and discharging a missile after Camp Sovereignty occupiers were allegedly held down and attacked.
He appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court last week where he was refused bail, with a magistrate saying she was satisfied he would endanger the safety of others if released into the community.
Meanwhile, Bull, who was wearing a mouthguard during the alleged attack has also been charged with violent disorder and affray but was granted bail by police last week.
‘We, as Nathan Bull’s family, are utterly devastated and remain in disbelief at his decision to join this group,’ the family said in a statement.
Neo-Nazi Nathan Bull was filmed at Kings Domain in Melbourne on Sunday wearing a mouthguard when members of the National Socialist Network stormed an Indigenous sacred site
Bull’s family released a statement (pictured) via social media, bluntly disowning him
Bull has a vegvísir tattoo, featuring an Icelandic symbol adopted by neo-Nazis globally as a covert swastika. He is pictured near a tribute to VC recipient Albert Jacka
‘From the very beginning, we made it clear that if he chose this path, we could no longer be an active part of his life. Sadly, that is the decision he made.’
In response to misinformation, the family clarified that Bull’s father has not been a member of Victoria Police for more than three years.
‘He is not ‘Luke Bull,’ the officer charged and found guilty in relation to a separate matter last year,’ they said.
‘He is in no way racist, nor did he have a negative influence on Nathan growing up.’
The family also addressed a photo from Nathan’s 21st birthday, where he was pictured wearing a t-shirt featuring neo-Nazi symbolism.
They said they had no knowledge of his association with the extremist group at the time, nor any understanding of the meaning behind the shirt.
‘At that point, Nathan was working, engaged with his family, and we believed he was becoming a fine young man. Not long after, our trust in that belief was sadly shattered,’ they said.
The family asked the media and community to stop contacting them after receiving ‘deeply distressing’ abusive phone calls.
‘We are embarrassed to see Nathan continually featured in the media and saddened by the possibility that he may never leave this group. His choices are his alone.
‘We hope this statement clears up some of the misinformation currently circulating and that we can now be allowed to live our lives without harassment due to the actions of someone who is no longer a part of our family.’
Bull, who has fast become Sewell’s right-hand man, was also behind the camera filming Sewell when he interrupted Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan’s press conference, is due to appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on December 10.
