Sir Alexander Lyell McEwin, KBE (29 May 1897 – 23 September 1988), always known as "Lyell McEwin" was a politician in South Australia.

History

Lyell McEwin was born in the

Hundred 100 or one hundred (Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 and preceding 101. In medieval contexts, it may be described as the short hundred or five score in order to differentiate the English and Germanic use of "hundred" to de ...

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, the youngest son of Alexander Lyell McEwin (1862 – 29 December 1927) and Jessie Smilie McEwin née Ferguson who married 30 May 1888. He was educated locally and won a scholarship to

Prince Alfred College , motto_translation = Do Brave Deeds and Endure , established = 1869 , type = Independent, single-sex, day & boarding , headmaster = David Roberts , chaplain = Reverend ...

. He attended the college for a period, but returned to the family farm at age 14. In the 1930s he was a member of the Agricultural Settlement Committee, president of the Blyth Agricultural Bureau and the Blyth Veterinary Lodge, Captain of the Blyth Rifle Club, Vice-president of the Blyth Bowling Club, and a member of the Board of Management Blyth District Hospital, member of the

District Council of Hutt and Hill Rivers The District Council of Hutt and Hill Rivers was a local government area in South Australia. It was established on 30 July 1885 and included the entirety of the Hundred of Milne as well as the south half of the Hundred of Andrews. It gained the ...

; and a committee member of the Blyth Agricultural and Horticultural Society, and deeply involved in several organizations associated with the

Liberal and Country League Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and ...

. In October 1934, campaigning as a "practical farmer", McEwin won the Northern district seat in the Legislative Council made vacant by the death of William Morrow. He retained the seat until June 1975, when he retired. McEwin filled the Cabinet positions of Chief Secretary from 1939, coupled with Minister of Mines and Minister of Health. It was perhaps as Minister of Health that he left the greatest mark. He oversaw the provision of many country hospitals funded on a subsidy basis: for every pound a local auxiliary raised, the Government contributed two. The major teaching hospital constructed on his watch was that at Elizabeth, later named the

Lyell McEwin Hospital The Lyell McEwin Hospital (LMH) is a major tertiary hospital located in Adelaide, South Australia that provides medical, surgical, diagnostic, emergency and support services to a population of more than 300,000 people living primarily in Adelaid ...

in his honour. While perfectly adequate, the building was designed with economy in mind. McEwin's "practical farmer" frugality appealed to Premier Playford. He was elected

President of the South Australian Legislative Council The president of the South Australian Legislative Council is the presiding officer of the South Australian Legislative Council, the upper house of the Parliament of South Australia. The other presiding officer is the speaker of the South Australia ...

on 8 March 1967.

Family

He married Dora Winifred Williams (born 9 May 1898) of "Fairview",

Blyth, South Australia Blyth is a small town in the Mid North of South Australia, located west of the renowned Clare Valley. The town is located on the lands of the Kaurna people, the indigenous people who lived there before European settlement. It has a population of ...

on 16 February 1921. They had four sons and a daughter. They lived at "Wyndora" homestead, north of Blyth.

Other interests

He was a member of the

Caledonian Society of South Australia The Royal Caledonian Society of South Australia was founded in Adelaide in 1881 as the South Australian Caledonian Society to promote Scottish culture and traditions in South Australia. History Foundation members included A. W. Dobbie and Patric ...

and its chief from 1959 to 1968. He was a longtime worshipper at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church,

North Adelaide North Adelaide is a predominantly residential precinct and suburb of the City of Adelaide in South Australia, situated north of the River Torrens and within the Adelaide Park Lands. History Surveyor-General Colonel William Light of the colo ...

Recognition

On 10 June 1954 he was appointed Sir Alexander Lyell McEwin, KBE for his service as Minister of Health & Mines in South Australia. His portrait, painted by Sir

Ivor Hele Sir Ivor Henry Thomas Hele, CBE (13 June 1912 – 1 December 1993) was an Australian artist noted for portraiture. He was Australia's longest serving war artist and completed more commissioned works than any other in the history of Austra ...

hangs in Parliament House. His name is commemorated in the

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McEwin, Lyell 1897 births 1988 deaths Members of the South Australian Legislative Council Liberal and Country League politicians 20th-century Australian politicians Presidents of the South Australian Legislative Council Australian Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Australian politicians awarded knighthoods Australian farmers