Articles from Australia
JOHN REYNOLD EWENS and the MISSING DIARIES
Submitted by Ralf Grandison in Nov 2010
John Reynolds Ewens, was a South Australian Police Trooper who joined the force in 1853. From that time until his death in 1888 he kept a daily diary.
Reference to the diaries are mentioned in a book about the explorer John McDoull Stuart which was written by Mona Stuart Webster in 1958.
In 1861 Ewens was at Port Lincoln and is quoted as having met Stuart where he observed his advanced return to Adelaide by ship out of Port Augusta.
Mona Webster quotes the diaries with thanks to Mr Leonard J Ewens for access to them. Leonard Ewens lived at Rollerston just outside the city of Adelaide at the time.
In his obituary, John Reynolds Ewens is quoted as being 'an enthusiastic collector of natural history objects. This leads Ralf Grandison to think that as he was the right place at the right time, he may have met several natural history collectors throughout his lifetime.
Ralf is keen to track down the missing diaries.
John Reynold Ewens married twice, and each time had 6 or 7 children. This has complicated Ralf's research and the two families over the years have appeared to have lost touch with each other. This has resulted in the diaries being forgottten about.
Any information on the diaries is most welcome. Send an email to lionsmq@bigpond.com
Ralf resides in Hope Valley South Australia.