Knapton Pit Sawn Table

George Knapton and his family sailed from England aboard the Travancore and arrived at the Swan River settlement in 1854, after which they joined his father-in-law, John Herring, who had already settled in the Vasse. On his arrival to the Vasse, George worked in the Margaret River area and helped in the building of Wallcliffe House, the 12-room home of Alfred Bussell, where he was responsible for much of the internal jarrah woodwork. Around 1873 George purchased a carpentry and cabinetmaking business from American Charles Keyser. George worked this business, along with his sons, until his final years and became a well-known and highly respected identity in the south-west region.

Knapton had an interest in politics and held positions on the local Busselton Town Trust Board and became mayor of Busselton in 1888.

Alfred Mewett was born in Busselton in 1859. His father, John Mewett, was one of six men specially chosen for colonial service in Western Australia and served for years as a Police Sergeant in the Vasse. On John’s retirement he farmed 2,000 acres of land on the banks of the Vasse Estuary in Reinscourt before becoming the publican of the Vasse Hotel (also known as Mewett’s Hotel) in the late 1870s. When Alfred married Dunsborough girl Carolyn Smith, in 1886, they were granted one of the original 40-acre titles created in the Quindalup area. Around 1889 Alfred built a house on the property made from weatherboard, wattle and daub with a corrugated iron roof and two brick chimneys. This table was commissioned for use in this home.

The Mewetts became a prominent family in the area and were known for their participation in community events. Alfred was a keen sportsman who was active in the Quindalup-Yallingup Hunt Club and Quindalup Race Club. The family had an orchard and were known to hand out mulberries and cream to customers who arrived from Caves House, Yallingup, in horse drawn buggies.