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GEORGE REYNOLDS EWENS

George, like his father before him,  joined the Police Force in Feb 1884 - retired June 1919 with the rank of Senior Constable.

Prior to joining he did considerable pioneering work in the interior of Australia and gained much knowledge concerning the interior and its inhabitants.

He  was stationed at Goolwa, then in charge of Snowtown, Willunga, from April 28, 1898 until Aug 22, 1903.Clarendon, Yorketown and Naracoorte.

Was  involved in the tragic wreck of the steamer Clan Ranald which sunk off Troubridge on Jan 31, 1909. There were only 24 of the 64 crew and passengers found alive. His spent around 3 weeks after the wreck patrolling for and finding 36 of the missing bodies. Certainly not the nicest job to have.

The vessel was located in 1962, lying upsidde down in twenty-five metres off Troubridge Point. An anchor from the ship is mounted at Troubridge Point

The 3,000 ton steamer Clan Ranald built in 1900, left Port Adelaide for South Africa with a cargo of wheat and flour. Although listing to starboard she was allowed to leave after an inspection. When near Troubridge Island, the ship suddenly lurched onto its starboard side, probably because the load had shifted during the deteriorating weather. Within eight hours she rolled over and sank, taking forty crew members with her. Twenty-four had been able to reach the shore only to be arrested as illegal immigrants. Only thirty-six bodies were ever found and buried at the Edithburgh cemetery. The British officers were buried in the main part of the cemetery but the bodies of the thirty-one Lascar crew members went to the rear of the cemetery in a mass grave. Full details of those were known to the authorities but only a small plaque on it says '31 unknown Asiatics'.
http://www.southaustralianhistory.com.au/shipwrecks.htm

He was more than once complimented on his tracking abilities which were presumably learnt from his earlier pioneering work.