Clifford Ernest Sawrey was born in Melbourne in 1914, son of Edward Ernest Sawrey who was a well-known eye, ear, nose and throat specialist. He was educated at Melbourne Church of England Grammar School and graduated in medicine from Melbourne University in 1937. He was resident at the Alfred Hospital, Melbourne in 1938 and was then at the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne in 1939. He was a registrar there in 1940 before joining the RAAMC in 1941. He served in the Middle East and Pacific area with distinction becoming a major in 1944 and being mentioned in despatches in 1945.

He returned home to be medical superintendent of the Royal Children's Hospital from 1946 to 1948. He then moved to Hamilton in the Western District of Victoria where he became a physician to the Hamilton Medical Group and honorary physician to the Glenelg Base Hospital in Hamilton. He continued a busy practice in internal medicine and paediatrics, often visiting the surrounding towns of Portland and Warrnambool. He is still remembered fondly by many of his patients from that time.

Ill-health forced his return to Melbourne and in 1964 he took on the directorship of the Monash University Health Service in which position he remained until his retirement in 1979. Cliff died after a long battle with cancer in 1986 and is survived by his wife, son and four daughters. His two great loves outside his medical practice were the Melbourne Football Club and his longstanding family interest in horse-racing. He was a happy and caring man, loved by his family and respected by his patients, his friends and those fortunate enough to know him and work with him.