 |
| 0648 Saint Francis Xavier Cathedral |
St Francis Xavier Cathedral is the first Catholic Church in Geraldton, a port in the Mid West region of Western Australia, and is considered by many to be the greatest work of John Hawes, architect and priest. He designed the building intending to "avoid any slavish imitation of past styles (and) to give character and expression to the building by austere simplicity of design and by harmonious proportions of the several parts… Solidity and massiveness have been chosen rather than prettiness and elegance".
Hawes arrived in Geraldton in 1915 to take up the parish priest position, and started the work on the cathedral straight away. Its foundation stone was laid in 1916, the first portion (from the towers to the first big arch) being completed two years later. The second stage began in 1926 and continued until 1938.
About the stamps
The first stamp is part of the series Farming Australia, designed by Jo Mure and issued on March 20, 2012:
• diary (0,10 AUD) - It's on the postcard 0648
• pineapples (0,20 AUD)
• wine (1,00 AUD)
• sunflowers (3,00 AUD)
• apples (5,00 AUD)
The second is one dedicated to 12th FINA World Championships (World Aquatics Championships), which took place from 17 March to 1 April 2007 at Melbourne.
The third is part of the series Marine Life - Sea Slugs, issued on May 8, 2012, which depict Nudibranchs, marine molluscs with bright, colourful bodies that not only advertise their toxicity and distastefulness to would-be predators, but also provide near perfect camouflage to hide their delicate bodies:
• Chromodoris westraliensis (0,60 AUD)
• Godiva sp. (0,60 AUD)
• Flabellina rubrolineata (0,60 AUD)
• Phyllidia ocellata (1,20 AUD) - It's on the postcard 0648
• Thorunna florens (1,20 AUD)
• Nembrotha purpureolineata (1,80 AUD)
One of the many interesting initiatives of Australia Post is the publishing every year, since 1997, of a commemorative series called Australian Legends. In 2009 the series was dedicated to Australian Legends of the Screen and consisted of four stamps with the same value (0.55 AUD):
• Cate Blanchett
• Russell Crowe - It's on the postcard 0648
• Nicole Kidman
• Geoffrey Rush
References
St Francis Xavier Cathedral, Geraldton - Monsignor Hawes Heritage
Sender: Heather Massese (postcrossing)
Sent from Perth (Western Australia / Australia), on 01.08.2012
Photo: Joel Smoke
Russell Crowe stamps! Wow!
ReplyDelete