On 13 March 1940 Hawkins set the "World 1,000-mile record" in Perth, having ridden the 1,000 miles (1,600 km) distance in 4 days, 8 hours and 7 minutes, cutting 9 hours 53 minutes off the record set by Valda Unthank of Hastings, Victoria.
Hawkins completed the ride in front of a huge crowd outside the Malvern Star headquarters in Hay Street and was greeted by H. Millington, Minister for Works.
The endeavour was sponsored by Bruce Small Pty Ltd.[5][8][9][10] One week after Hawkins completed her ride, the officials refused to recognise the record due to "irregularities in the log sheets".
[11] Marion Stell wrote in her book Half the Race, A history of Australian women in sport of the anonymous reality that followed the excitement of the record.
Australia did not appear to dwell on the loss of the record, nor even mention it; only a couple of newspapers appear to have referred to it: a single paragraph in the Army News of Darwin[11] while The Cairns Post stated that "A signed statement admitting the irregularities has been handed to the committee and sponsors of the effort by Miss Hawkins.