On 10 February 1930, just as the Great Depression was starting to shake Australia’s foundations, Francis Alexander Jones began his business, which he named after himself. Starting in Queen Street but then relocating to Atwell Arcade in the heart of Freo, Francis saw a lot of work in liquidation as the Depression took its toll.

Through the Second World War and a huge influx of American servicemen, Francis A Jones – now at 165 High Street Fremantle – kept his business growing. By the end of the war a majority of Fremantle’s fishermen, and a great many market gardeners from Spearwood and surrounding areas, were clients. And it was in 1949 that young Herb Moonen joined the firm.

As Francis spent more time attending to his other business interests, Herb Moonen took on more of the accounting practice’s workload. Eventually, Francis stepped away from the firm, handing a half share to Herb Moonen and selling the other half to Lloyd Marchesi. The firm continued to grow, attracting such clients as the Rose Hotel, Cicerello’s Fish markets, and builder Tony Fini, who later became an industry giant.

When Francis A Jones’ wife, Mrs Edna Jones, became the first married, mature age person to be accepted for nursing training at Fremantle Hospital, she and her husband set up the Francis Jones Fund. The fund continues to assist nurses to this day. At the end of the 1960s, Lloyd and Herb bought the old squash courts at 154 High Street, which has been the firm’s home ever since through several renovations and expansions.

Young Hans Moonen, who’d joined FAJ at the age of fifteen, completed his accounting studies in 1970 and became a full time employee. Ray Polglase, who'd joined the company in 1968, became a junior partner that same year. Just five years later Herb and Lloyd retired, and Hans and Ray were joined in partnership by Rod Moonen and Mario Cattalini.

In the early 80’s the America’s Cup shone a world spotlight on Fremantle – and the ownership of FAJ changed again. Rod Moonen sold his shareholding to Geoff Paganoni and Mike Babich. Then Ray Polglase retired during Australia’s centenary year, 1988. As Freo flourished and grew, the way we worked changed. Our significant investment in a “computer room”, which housed four stand-alone machines and a full-time dedicated computer operator, gave us a technological edge we maintain today.

The 1990s was a time of technological evolution, with a personal computer landing on every desk in the office, and the world-wide-web changing our operations and communications. Young graduates Michael McGrath, Mark Douglas and Matthew Moonen were honing their skills and absorbing the client-first leadership approach they would eventually inherit from the existing partners, and Ben Paganoni commenced as a graduate in 1996.

Michael McGrath, Mark Douglas and Matt Moonen joined the partnership in 2001 with Ben joining them in 2007. Mark was appointed as our first Managing Partner in 2006. After decades of service to our ever-growing list of clients, we bid farewell to FAJ stalwarts Hans and Mario in 2008. The firm continued to expand its offering, adding FAJ Home Loans as a stand-alone service.

As we celebrated our 9th decade in business, the partnership structure again changed with the retirement of Geoff Paganoni and the appointment of new partners Daniel Papaphotis and Michael Basilio. In 2016 we instituted the bookkeeping service that helps so many clients maintain accurate records and manage their cashflows. Our strong growth has continued into the 2020s, culminating in a merger with local accounting firm Anthony Terribile and Co in 2021, together with the appointment of Ryan Christie as partner.

Stronger than ever, FAJ continues to cement its place in the history of Fremantle, and celebrate the successes of our many clients. In more than 90 years of continuous operation the company has helped thousands of companies turn over perhaps billions of dollars, delivered millions in income tax refunds, and contributed to the growth, stability and harmony of our community.