George McEwin was a gardener and orchardist in the early days of South Australia, remembered today as the founder of Glen Ewin jams and preserves. McEwin was born in Scotland, and worked in the gardens of the Duke of Buccleugh at Drumlanrig Castle in Scotland, then in the Liverpool nurseries of M. Skirving. He married Jessie Kennedy in Liverpool in 1839. They emigrated to South Australia on the Delhi, arriving in Adelaide on 20 December 1840. He worked as head gardener for George Stevenson, and planted what may have been South Australia's first vines at North Adelaide in 1837. Stevenson was private secretary to Governor Hindmarsh, arriving on HMS Buffalo at Holdfast Bay on 28 December 1836. He visited Sydney and collected a large number of fruit trees and vines, which he planted on Stevenson's extensive property between Melbourne and Finniss streets, and which thrived under his care. He planted a small plot with wheat; arguably the first in South Australia, though Charles George Everard and Donald McLean are at least as plausible. In 1843 he purchased land near Houghton which he named "Glen Ewin", where he planted extensive orchards and settled in 1844. He worked for George A. Anstey establishing the garden and orchards of his Highercombe Estate, now part of Tea Tree Gully. From 1850 he and apple grower William Dunn worked for Anstey setting up the orchard and gardens for his nearby Paracombe Estate. Around 1863 McEwin founded a jam factory, which he operated with his son Robert McEwin, to make use of excess fruit. He sold of his land to the building firm of English & Brown for a quarry, noted for its freestone. At the height of their business they employed over 100 people and purchased much of the fruit in the region. Besides the Glen Ewin brand, their jam was also marketed as Kingurli, Viking, Anchor, Arab and Far West. In December 1962Sir Thomas Playford unveiled a plaque commemorating 100 years of jam making at Glen Ewin. The business failed in the late 1980s; the factory closed in 1988, and the property deteriorated considerably. The Glen Ewin name was revived in the 1990s for a range of jams made by Henry Jones IXL, which was bought by SPC Ardmona in 2004 but none of these products was made at Houghton. In 1991 the Wauchope family bought the property and began resurrecting Glen Ewin as a fig orchard in 1994. Their company Willabrand now supplies fresh figs locally, interstate and overseas.
He was a brother of Robert Daniel McEwin of Golden Grove. Their father John McEwin died at Heidelberg He married Jessie Kennedy, who was born at Dumfrieshire, Scotland. They had six children:
Margaret Hester married William Duncan on 30 July 1863. She died giving birth to twins.
Jessie married Frederick Joseph Lewis of Gumeracha on 12 October 1867 homes Georgetown, Joslin
Elizabeth married John Tasker of Norwood on 13 February 1868
Rev. John McEwin married Agnes Henderson daughter of Rev. James Henderson in 1872, lived in North Adelaide. Their children included:
Robert McEwin, JP. married Emily Longbotham in 1872. He was chairman of George McEwin & Sons and Superintendent of Houghton Sunday School.
For some years he was in poor health, and prior to his death he was confined to his room for two months, suffering from a heart condition, but his death was somewhat sudden and unexpected.
Recognition
For the report he wrote for the Scottish Arboricultural Society he received in 1881 the Society's silver medal.
