David Bews (April 1850 – 24 February 1891) was a newspaper editor, politician in colonial

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

and Minister of Education. He was a member of the

South Australian House of Assembly The House of Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. The other is the Legislative Council. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Adelaide. Overview The House of Assembly was creat ...

from 1885 until his death in 1891, representing the electorate of

Wallaroo Wallaroo is a common name for several species of moderately large macropods, intermediate in size between the kangaroos and the wallabies. The word "wallaroo" is from the Dharug ''walaru'', and not a portmanteau of the words "kangaroo" and "wal ...

. Bews was born near

Kirkwall Kirkwall ( sco, Kirkwaa, gd, Bàgh na h-Eaglaise, nrn, Kirkavå) is the largest town in Orkney, an archipelago to the north of mainland Scotland. The name Kirkwall comes from the Norse name (''Church Bay''), which later changed to ''Kirkv ...

, in the

Orkney Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north ...

Islands of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, and went to South Australia with his parents the following year. In 1853, during the gold rush in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, his family removed to that colony, but only to return one year later. Bews' father then engaged in farming operations near

Port Elliot Port Elliot is a town in South Australia toward the eastern end of the south coast of the Fleurieu Peninsula. It is situated on the sheltered Horseshoe Bay, a small bay off the much larger Encounter Bay. Pullen Island lies outside the mouth of t ...

, and afterwards near

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

. Bews was educated at Allen Martin's school in Port Adelaide then worked as a farmer until he reached the age of majority, when he secured a position as clerk with the Kadina & Wallaroo Railway Company. He subsequently became goods manager, but seven years later (in 1878), when the Government took over the line, he left the service to work for the ''

Kadina and Wallaroo Times The ''Kadina and Wallaroo Times'' was a newspaper published in Kadina, and also serving the nearby Wallaroo, South Australia from August 1888 to August 1966. In 1968 the paper merged to form the ''Yorke Peninsula Country Times''. History Wit ...

''. He soon became editor of the newspaper, serving in that position for the rest of his life. He was mayor of the

Corporate Town of Wallaroo The Corporate Town of Wallaroo was a local government area in South Australia from 1874 to 1997, centred on the town of Wallaroo. History The municipality was proclaimed on 25 June 1874, following a petition from local residents that February, ...

from 1880 to 1882, besides which he was a member of the Yorke's Peninsula Board of Main Roads and the School Board of Advice. Bews was elected to the

on 16 February 1885, at a

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

following the resignation of Henry Allerdale Grainger; he had previously contested and lost the seat at the 1884 election. Bews was re-elected on 19 March 1887, and at the 1890 election. In August of that year he accepted the office of Minister of Education in

Thomas Playford II Thomas Playford (26 November 1837 – 19 April 1915) was an Australian politician who served two terms as Premier of South Australia (1887–1889; 1890–1892). He subsequently entered federal politics, serving as a Senator for South Australia ...

's Government. Bews, who had been appointed one of the South Australian delegates at the Postal Convention, died in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

whilst en route to

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

on 24 February 1891. A memorial fountain in honour of Bews was constructed in 1893.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bews, David 1850 births 1891 deaths Members of the South Australian House of Assembly Scottish emigrants to Australia People from Orkney 19th-century Australian politicians Mayors of places in South Australia