After the goldfields we were keen to make our way back to the west coast and the ocean - through Mullewa and onto Geraldton - where hopefully the wind would blow the fies away! Along the way I became absorbed in finding out all I could about Monsignor John Hawes, an eccentric, English architect priest who designed, and built (Mullewa), beautiful churches and a cathedral (Geraldton). He was almost commissioned to design a cathedral for Perth but a more Gothic design was eventually agreed upon - a pity! I felt it was a privilege walking around the churches and especially sitting in a small prayer alcove that he probably built with his own hands. Because of his eccentricities he often had run-ins with various clergy. On the side of the church in Mullewa there is a gargoyle that supposedly represents a bishop that had given him a hard time. We were very lucky to meet the head of the parish council who was working around the church when we visited. He took us all over the church and the original house of Monsignor Hawes. The zebra type orange and grey stripes in the cathedral in Geraldton are most unusual and "hit" you surprisingly as you walk in. After 24 yrs in WA Monsignor Hawes settled on Cat Island in the Bahamas where he lived as a Franciscan hermit until he died. (I remember watching a fascinating program about this eccentric architect priest on ABC a few years ago and have always been keen to get to see the churches he had designed.) Another interesting, yet very sad sight, is the memorial in Geraldton to the sailors who lost their lives in HMAS Sydney which was sunk in November 1941. The dome of the memorial is constructed using 645 stainless steel doves which represent each person that was on the sunken ship.Close by is a beautiful sculpture of "The Waiting Woman". We stayed in Geraldton for a few days before heading up to Denham. |
