A new tourism experience will make its debut in Geraldton, Western Australia, next week, celebrating the history and legacy of Msgr John Hawes. Source: The Midwest Times.
St Francis Xavier Cathedral Diocese, the Monsignor Hawes Heritage Centre and New Leaf Connect are launching a new tour – Beyond the Cathedral: Discovering Msgr Hawes – on September 7, which coincides with the 150th anniversary of his birth.
The tour will be a new heritage experience exploring the architectural legacy of the architect-priest, whose work is scattered all over the Mid West.
New Leaf Connect Tours and Transport is a locally owned transport company that the cathedral is collaborating with to offer the tour.
Fr Robert Cross hoped to have this as a weekly tour running in town. He believed Msgr John Hawes’ life work was not properly acknowledged.
“We really don’t … appreciate how significant a person Hawes is in terms of the history of architecture in Western Australia, certainly the Mid West, but even in Australia and internationally,” he said.
“He would be probably the most prolific architect of what we call the Arts and Crafts movement.”
Fr Cross saw a future for this tour to grow into a full-day or multi-day event, with people travelling to many more of Msgr Hawes’ sites, including those in Northampton, Mullewa and Morawa.
The inaugural tour tickets are available via New Leaf Connect’s website for $120 per adult.
FULL STORY
Geraldton’s Catholic cathedral teams up with local tourism operator to showcase Geraldton’s rich history (By Siena Seychell, Midwest Times)
