The Chiltern Chemist
The current owner of Mortimer's Lodge, Mervyn Rea, has researched the life and times of David James McEwen, and recorded his fascinating story in his first book, entitled "The Chiltern Chemist". It tells the tale of David, his journey across the world, the tragedies that befell him, and the quiet making of an Australian Prime Minister.
About the Book :
In the late 1800's, a young Ulster Scot from Ireland—raised a Presbyterian, trained in chemistry at Trinity College Dublin, arrived in a country half a world away. David James McEwen didn't emigrate in search of fame or fortune. He came to be useful.
What he found was Chiltern, a small Victorian town at the fading edge of a gold-rush era. Behind the counter of a modest pharmacy, McEwen's life was defined by service, faith, and quiet responsibility. He endured repeated tragedy. Married three times, widowed twice, and taken too early himself, he left no monument and little expectation of remembrance.
From this ordinary, burdened life came an extraordinary outcome. Against all odds, McEwen's son John—orphaned in childhood, raised far from his birthplace—rose to become one of the most influential figures in Australian public life: architect of national trade policy, wartime strategist, statesman of rare authority, and briefly Prime Minister of Australia. It is a story of places that remember, of buildings that bear witness, and of how leadership is not manufactured but compounded—through loss, duty, circumstance, and love.
At its heart lies a single, astonishing moment: a chance photograph, a letter written from a sickbed, and a reunion that reveals how the past never entirely disappears—it waits.
Where to buy the book
Books cost $30 each, and can be purchased from :
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Chiltern Visitor Centre, open 7 days a week
Chiltern Athenaeum, (57 Conness St) during their open hours
Dow's Pharmacy, (42 Conness St) during their normal operating hours.
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Alternatively, contact the author (below) for further options.
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The book is available as an eBook (Kindle), paperback or hardback from the Amazon book store. Use the link below.....
About the Author
The author was born in Northern Ireland in 1968, growing up throughout civil war, often called The Troubles. While largely spared their worst effects, that period shaped an early awareness of history, place, and the enduring impact of events on ordinary lives.
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He has spent more than four decades in corporate insurance, a career that has taken him across countries and continents, offering a close view of how institutions, risk, and responsibility shape the modern world. In 2003, he migrated to Australia with his family, where they now live on the Mornington Peninsula.
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Outside professional life, his enduring interest has been in history - particularly the relationship between the past and the places that preserve it. That interest became personal with the purchase of an historic cottage in Chiltern, regional Victoria. When the previous owner passed on a detailed dossier of research into the property’s former occupants, what began as curiosity became a sustained investigation - one that ultimately led to this book.
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He is currently President of the Chiltern Tourism and Development Committee, and in 2025 organised McEwen Day in Chiltern, commemorating the 125th anniversary of the birth of Sir John McEwen in the town.
The Chiltern Chemist is my first book.......
Get in touch.....
If you'd like to find out more about this book, or contact the author, please do so here :