Dominie

If any one aspect of the Monsignor Hawes collection best reveals the man himself, perhaps it’s the story of his love for his dog. The fox terrier, Havelock Dominie, became the priest’s constant companion, so much so that Hawes had special holes in the walls constructed in both the Hermitage in Geraldton and the priest house in Mullewa to allow Dominie’s comings and goings. Reflecting on Dominie after he’d been forced to leave him behind to travel to the Bahamas, Hawes wrote: “I have just one little treasured photo-snap that I allowed myself to keep and take away with me of a sturdy black-and-white fox terrier standing in a patch of Western Australian wildflowers - tail up and head cocked to one side with bright eyes regarding me; and as often as I look at it (and this must not be too often) always the tears come into my eyes and a choking lump in my throat.”