Hawes' first design for Our Lady of Mt Carmel was created in 1920 while he was holidaying in England and it was this perspective drawing that was shown to the Holy Father Pope Pius XI when Hawes was visiting Rome in 1923.
Due to Hawes being pre-occupied designing a Cathedral for Perth, and the funds not being readily available in Mullewa, he had not made a great deal of progress since laying the original Corner Stone in 1921.
However, with the rejection of his plans for the Perth Cathedral and the debt being cleared on the Convent and School in Mullewa, he lay a 2nd Cornestone, to great fanfare, in September 1924.
His design for the building evolved over the next 3 years and it was finally completed and officially opened with a solemn blessing by Archbishop Clune on May 1st 1927.
One amazing aspect of the building process involved the former church. Hawes had built the new church around it, and when the new church was complete, the old iron church was dismantled and carried out the front doors. It was then re-built as a hall for the school.
