Born in
Tongala, Victoria as
Ann Mills McLeod in either 1896 or 1900, she was educated at Girton Church of England Girls' Grammar School in
Bendigo. She married John McEwen on 21 September 1921 at Ballavoca, Tongala. They had no children. She was an experienced farmer and, with her husband, developed the soldier settler property. They sold it and bought others, to eventually hold in the
Stanhope area. A skilled organiser, she raised funds for local causes and was an active member of the
Country Women's Association in
Victoria. She was appointed a Life Governor of Melbourne's
Prince Henry's Hospital for her many years of voluntary work there. She was also an active figure in the
Country Party and remained so in the period of McEwen's expulsion from the party from 1938 to 1943. She spoke at women's meetings and was a key organiser in the Country Party during the early stages of her husband's political career. She drove thousands of miles through Victoria to political meetings while her husband worked on his speeches in the back seat of his car. He was elected to the
Federal Parliament in 1934 as a member for
Echuca. He later held the seats of
Indi from 1937 to 1949 and
Murray from 1949 to 1971, when he retired from politics. He became the leader of the Country Party in 1958. While her husband was Minister for Air, Annie McEwen arranged for the care of young
Royal Australian Air Force recruits from other states who were training at the
Flying School at
Point Cook. She continued this work during the war and took over an old mansion in the Melbourne suburb of
Toorak as a recreation centre. She was also a founding member of the
White Wings Auxiliary, a group formed to support the
Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force (WAAAF), established in 1941 when her husband was Minister for Air. ==Last years and death==