Writer and researcher Emma McEwin has dedicated much of her career to exploring the extraordinary legacies of her great-grandparents, Douglas and Paquita Mawson. With a PhD in Creative Writing and a passion for uncovering the personal stories behind public figures, she brings a deeply human perspective to Antarctic history.
Emma is the author of two acclaimed books that reveal not only the heroic explorer but also the husband, father and scientist behind the legend of Sir Douglas Mawson. Beyond these works, her writing spans biographies of pioneering women in science to thoughtful reflections on how figures like Mawson are remembered over time.
This year, Emma joins Aurora Expeditions in a very special role: as a Special Guest on our Mawson’s Antarctica and Ross Sea Odyssey voyages, and as the Godmother of our newest expedition ship, the Douglas Mawson.
We caught up with Emma to hear what inspires her writing, how she reflects on her family’s remarkable history, and what she’s most looking forward to as she steps aboard a ship bearing her great-grandfather’s name.
What first inspired you to write about your great-grandfather, Sir Douglas Mawson?
I’ve always been interested in the family history, and intrigued by my great-grandmother, Paquita. My first book, An Antarctic Affair, was partly inspired by the discovery and publication of the letters that Douglas Mawson and Paquita wrote to each other during their engagement while he was in the Antarctic on the Australasian Antarctic Expedition (AAE), 1911-14.
It seemed a good time to write about Paquita. The title of the book reflects the tension between Mawson’s passion for exploring and his love for and duty to her. I was interested in the role that Paquita played in his survival, and I saw it as an opportunity to address the underrepresentation of women in polar literature.
How did you approach blending historical fact with personal family stories in your books?
Fortunately, I have access to a lot of material on Mawson, in both the public and private domains, which has allowed me to consider the different modes of his existence and to reflect on both the meaning of his legacy in the public imagination and the continuing influence of his legacy on family generations.
The research is something that I really love, and the unpacking of ‘historical facts’ to uncover the myth making that occurs in both private and public memory. Often a surprise discovery or a chance encounter in the research journey becomes part of the story too. Much has been written on Mawson, but I try to use my unique position to provide an inside perspective on his character and life. Even as I recognise that we can never really know a person, I’m motivated by a desire to know him, to reveal his humanity.
I had a very good relationship with my grandmother, Jessica, the Mawsons’ younger daughter, and she shared with me many memories of her parents which I’ve enjoyed weaving into the books and articles that I’ve written on the Mawsons. My father, Andrew, the eldest grandchild, his sisters (my aunts), and other family members have also given me some wonderful insights which I hope to share on the ship.
Henrianne is a granddaughter of Baron Adrien Victor Joseph de Gerlache de Gomery who led the Belgian Antarctic Expedition of 1897-99, which included Roald Amundsen, who was first to reach the South Pole in 1911, and Frederick Cook, who claimed to have reached the North Pole in 1908. Henrianne’s father, Baron Gaston de Gerlache de Gomery, led the second Belgian expedition to Antarctica in 1957-1958.
Your work often explores how people are remembered; how do you think Mawson’s legacy has evolved over time?
Certainly, historical figures go in and out of favour, and sometimes they are in the forefront of people’s minds, and, at other times, they disappear from view. Mawson is no exception. I’d say that he has become more well-known in the last few decades. A lot more books have been written about him and documentaries made, such as the 2007 TV movie, Mawson: Life and Death in Antarctica, in which Tim Jarvis reenacted the sledging journey that Mawson survived in 1912-13. The Australian Polar Collection, on permanent display at the South Australian Museum, and Mawson's Huts Replica Museum in Hobart, have also contributed to greater awareness about who he was. The increase in cruises to the Antarctic and the preservation of huts from the heroic age of exploration, including Mawson’s huts at Cape Denison, has meant that more people have had the opportunity to learn about him and other polar explorers and appreciate their achievements.
I think he’s still admired for his lone survival in the Antarctic, but the publication, in recent years, of the diaries of members of his expeditions and crew members on his ships, has brought other lives and perspectives to light, which has, to some degree, decentred him. These alterative accounts, as well as shifting ideas of heroism, have also led to greater criticism of him. At the same time, the value of his scientific legacy is gaining more attention. This legacy lives on in Australia’s significant and ongoing presence in the Antarctic, which he helped to establish.
What does it mean to you to be the Godmother of a ship named Douglas Mawson?
It’s an honour to be godmother to a ship named after my great-grandfather. I only wish that he was here to see it!
I like the idea of carrying on this centuries-old maritime tradition of giving ships a godmother to protect them and bless them with a safe voyage. It’s also a gesture of respect for the mysteries of the sea even as shipbuilding has greatly advanced over the last century.
My family connection with Douglas Mawson, and as a guest on this ship’s first voyage to the Antarctic, makes it particularly special. I hope that I can help the crew and the other passengers to enjoy the voyage in the spirit of Douglas Mawson and all polar explorers, past and present.
What are you most looking forward to about your upcoming voyages to Antarctica with Aurora?
Our chances of entering Commonwealth Bay may be limited due to weather conditions, however I remain hopeful we can get to the hut. I went inside it fifteen years ago, also with Aurora Expeditions, but, since then, the walls have been patched up and the ice cleared away from inside it.
I’m looking forward to seeing the wildlife, the penguins, seals, whales and sea birds, and to waking up to a sea of ice. Meeting people, passengers, scientists and other researchers and sharing knowledge, stories and expertise is also something I’m really excited about. I am not a great sailor though, so I’m hoping that I’ll find my sea legs!
What can expeditioners expect to learn from you?
I hope that I can give people a sense of who Mawson was, as both a private person and as a public figure. I’d like to introduce them to Paquita, and other lesser known figures connected with his life and expeditions, and share with them some stories and anecdotes.
Embark on an expedition of your own
Follow in the footsteps of legends like Scott, Shackleton, and Mawson, in one of the most remote and seldom-travelled regions on Earth, the past comes alive in the historic huts of early explorers. These weathered shelters hold stories of extraordinary endurance against unimaginable odds, set against a backdrop of vast ice shelves and awe-inspiring polar landscapes.
