Jack Fontanini's Chair

This chair was made from jarrah and local rushes by Jack Fontanini, who migrated from Italy to Manjimup to join his brother Archie, in about 1907. The Fontanini brothers were hard working and enterprising, and were successful in growing apples, potatoes and other vegetables. As well as working hard on the land, Jack found time to work with his hands to make furniture and musical instruments. The Fontanini family continue to grow fruit and nuts on the same land that their forebears cleared over a hundred years ago. “Fonty’s Pool” was built by Archie Fontanini in the early 1920s.