Alexander James McEWAN
Alexander James McEWAN
New South Wales Police Force
Regd. # 8304
Uniform # 254
Rank: Sergeant
Stations: No. 2 Division ( Regent Street )
Born: 1875
Age: 57 – 58
Died: 22 March 1933
Funeral: 23 March 1933
Buried: Rookwood, Presbyterian Cemetery
from NSW Police Gazette.
His registered number was 8304.
He first appears in issue dated 7 December 1904 & sworn in as a Probationary Constable attestation date 24 November 1904. His next appearance was in issue dated 11 July 1906 which states he was confirmed as a Constable on 1 June 1906.
His next appearance is in issue dated 14 April 1915 where he was promoted to Constable First Class effective 1 February 1915.
Also found him in the NSW Electoral roll of 1933 electorate of Lakemba residing at “Carrissima” Faux St Punchbowl with wife Maude McEwen. His occupation was listed as Police Sergeant.
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RIFLE SHOOTING, GOOD SCORING.
CIVILIANS AND TRAINEES.
( BY RIFLEMAN. )
……
THE RESCH CUP.
This trophy was presented with the object of encouraging interchange of visits between city and country clubs, and is open to Randwick, Waverley, Yorkshire Society, Goulburn Railway Ambulance, Norah Head, and Catherine Hill Bay combinations. It is a handicap event, and last year was won by Norah Head.
The distance for the trophy this quarter is 500yds, where the bullseye is still 18in. Last quarter Waverley and Yorkshire fired in error at 600yds, a distance that is only used for the last year of the competition, 1926 27. The intention, of course, is to allow the two weaker combinations, Norah Head and Catherine Hill Bay, to develop their shooting before going to the more difficult ranges. Mr. R. Fox ( secretary ) has allotted handicaps of 64 and 48 points for the current quarter to Norah Head and Catherine Hill Bay. The contest has given a great stimulus to rifle-shooting in the small coal-mining centre at Wallarah. Two years ago the local club was practically defunct, but now has a membership of 86. Norah Head numbers 38 members. The match is conducted on the home-and-home principle, and on Saturday Randwick’s best eight totaled 511. D. Mitchell scored 32 in one stage, and a possible in the other. Sergeant McEwan, who holds the record for 34 consecutive bull’s-eyes from 500yds 20in bullseye, scored 64, as did McDiarmid, Howarth, and R. Hunt.
The Sydney Morning Herald Monday 27 July 1925 page 7 of 20
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GOLD IN PAPERWEIGHT ANALYSED AFTER 25 YEARS.
One night 25 years ago, Sergeant McEwan, of Regent Street (Sydney) police — he was then a raw young constable — was walking along Bathurst Street, when he chanced to find a lump of metal among the debris of a fire. Some thing prompted him to pocket it.
Last week he had it analysed. The metallurgist gave him £6/5/- for it ! The alloy contained about two ounces of pure gold.
How he managed to keep the metal which he thought valueless, for a quarter of a century, is more than the sergeant himself can tell.
For years it graced the counters of city police stations to which he was attached. He used it as a paper-weight. Often it disappeared for days at a time.
Once it was snatched up by a drink- maddened prisoner, who went berserk in a station. It was thrown on the floor. McEwan forgot about it, but somebody placed it back on the counter.
For many years it was hidden among odds and ends in a locker at Randwick Rifle Range, where McEwan practised shooting.
Years later it was transferred with other trifles to Liverpool Range. When McEwan gave up rifle shooting he took the “nugget” to his home. As the years went by, he came to regard it as a lucky token.
It might still have been lying in a corner at his home had he not chanced to catch sight of it the other day, while he was cleaning some old coins with spirits of salts. Idly, he sprinkled some spirits on the metal, and was surprised to see a gleam of yellow.
He thought nothing of that, but, just curious to find out what the metal really contained, he took it to be analysed. Mr. Garrett, who made the test, believes that the gold was from old jewelery which had been melted down.
The Northern Miner ( Charters Towers, Qld ) Saturday 2 April 1932 page 7 of 8
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NSW Births, Deaths & Marriages.
Birth: Registration # 10089/1875 McEwen, Alexander James Father: James Mother: Ann District: Coonabarabran
Marriage: Registration # 2896/1905 McEwan, Alexander J Maud HEGGARTY District: Sydney
Death: Registration # 926/1933 McEwan, Alexander James Father: James A Mother: Ann District: Canterbury
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Funeral Notices
McEWEN — The Relatives and Friends of Mrs. MAUD M. McEWEN and FAMILY, of 4 Faux-street, Punchbowl, are invited to attend the Funeral of their late beloved HUSBAND and FATHER, Alexander James McEwen ( Sergeant of Police ) ; to leave Charles Kinsela’s Funeral Parlour, 143 Oxford street, city, THIS THURSDAY at 1 pm for Presbyterian Cemetery, Rookwood, by Funeral Train leaving Mortuary Station, Regent-street, Sydney, at 1.50 o’clock.
CHARLES KINSELA,
Funeral Director, Sydney.
The Sydney Morning Herald Thursday 23 March 1933 page 7 of 16
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McEWEN – The BANKSTOWN RIFLE CLUB –
The Members of the above Club are requested to attend the Funeral of their late Member, Sergeant A J McEWEN ; to leave Charles Kinsela’s Funeral Parlour, THIS THURSDAY at 1 p m for the Rookwood Cemetery. ( See family notice )
G HEMISTER, Captain
G DEHN, Secretary
The Sydney Morning Herald Thursday 23 March 1933 page 7 of 16
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LATE SERGEANT McEWAN.
Police Sergeant A J McEwan who died last week and was buried at Rookwood on Thursday was one of the best known riflemen in the State.
A familiar figure at every October meeting he had hundreds of friends among visiting riflemen from the other States. Up to two years ago he was a member of Randwick Rifle Club and it was with this club that he achieved his highest success as a marksman. A winner of several individual competitions at N. R. A. and Metropolitan Unions meetings, he put up a record of 44 consecutive bull’s-eyes in a club shoot on Randwick range in 1918. Two years later he was a member of the club team which won the Sands trophy outright. For the past couple of years he was a member of Bankstown club. He was accorded a police funeral and among the riflemen present were Mr J R Wallace ( vice president N. R. A. ) Mr Wilde ( captain ) and Mr R M Fox ( honorary secretary ) Randwick club, also Messrs H Dakin and Stanford, of the Bankstown club.
The Sydney Morning Herald Monday 27 March 1933 page 7 of 14
