Bob Hawke’s childhood home in West Leedy to be preserved by National Trust of WA

The West Australian Government has announced this week that former Prime Minister Bob Hawke’s childhood home in West Leederville has been handed into the care of the National Trust of Western Australia.

The small, unassuming 1920s red brick house on Tate Street will be preserved by the National Trust, becoming a short- and long-stay accommodation facility with public open days.

Earlier this year we shared a similar situation for another former Prime Minister’s previous home – John Curtin’s colonial-style Cottesloe home.

Prime Minister Hawke lived in the Tate Street home from the ages of 10-24, with his parents staying there until it was sold in 1981.

After the WA Government purchased the property in 2020 and entered it in the State Register of Heritage Places, the National Trust will now take over safe-guarding the premises, ensuring the site’s preservation and accessibility, and celebrating one of the country’s most popular PM’s.

“Bob Hawke’s childhood home is not just a physical structure – it represents the living legacy of one of Australia’s most beloved and influential leaders,” said Premier Roger Cook.

“In preserving this national asset, we are keeping alive a powerful symbol of Bob Hawke’s rise to one of this country’s highest offices, from a seemingly ordinary childhood in Western Australia.”

“It is pleasing to know that, under the National Trust of Western Australia, the house will continue to welcome guests who, hopefully, will be inspired to reflect on Bob Hawke’s ideals of consensus, fairness and social progress,” added Heritage Minister David Templeman.

Image Credit: Supplied