Jack was born in Holland in 1942. After the traumatic war years his parents decided to immigrate to Australia. In Jan.1952 they left Holland to make a new beginning in the" Land down under".
In the school holidays Jack had a job in a local citrus orchard, he took to that like a duck to water. The genes from his mother's side probably had something to do with it, as her family were farmers. When Jack was old enough to leave school he was offered a fulltime job in the orchard.
Jack's Dad was a registered builder, in 1960 he convinced Jack to work for him with the words" You will have to earn some real money if you're to buy your own orchard." Many years were spent as a carpenter in the cottage industry.
Whilst this was a far cry from growing things he did enjoy it. Being a creative person he enjoyed working with wood, he was especially attracted to the finer carpentry work.
In 1968 Jack and his wife Ina purchased a 30-acre citrus orchard in Pinjarra, about 80km south of Perth.
They lived there for10yrs, then in 1978 the property was sold and 100acres was purchased in the hills near Serpentine. This was not an existing orchard but a grazing property, a lot of work ahead with clearing and planting.
In the mean time Jack went back to the building trade as sub-contract carpenter. However in '82 the building industry faced a lean time so he came home and planted a cash crop.
That year was the start of 10 years growing tomatoes for the fresh fruit market, it began with 6000 plants and grew to 15-18,000 plants per year, in the mean time the fruit trees, mainly peaches and nectarines, grew and reached full production.
The first year of tomato growing was a disappointment, the prices were very low and due to inexperience the quantity was not there either. At that time Jack's eldest son, who had earned money after school in the tomato patch, wanted to buy a wood lathe, he'd learned woodturning at school and now wanted his own, Jack came along and, as they say, that was the start of it all.
The lathe was purchased from someone who manufactured them; he told Jack there was a living to be made in woodturning. Willing to try anything to work from home rather than go back to building, Jack gave it a go and was surprised that his work sold. He soon had several outlets in the Perth metropolitan area so that the income from the woodturning helped them struggle through to the next tomato season, which thankfully was a successful one.

The following years woodturning became an important part of Jack's income, he became deeper involved so that it dominated his life more and more. He supplied many tourist type of outlets with a vast range of items. However as the trees matured and also required more time he was forced to cut back his woodturning so that when they sold their property in '93 he only supplied one outlet.
In '93 Jack and Ina moved to their present address and woodturning became his fulltime occupation [according to Ina, "obsession"]
Rather than continuing to turn the "touristy pop in the bag stuff" he focussed more on the better "gallery" market, being a perfectionist this also gave him more job satisfaction.
He focussed on bowls, vases and hollow forms in local Grasstree, Jarrah and Sheoak.
The demand for his finely turned vases and hollow-forms was so strong that he was forced to focus on them.
He currently still has 200 bowl blanks patiently waiting their turn.
In time "straight" turned pieces lost their challenge so some carved embellishment was added.
Since his first "Seedpod" in 2000, he has been preoccupied with that idea ever since.
Jack also started to enter exhibitions and competitions. In the following years he won many awards and prizes.

Today woodturning is still a passion with him and he is constantly developing new techniques, designs and

ideas, which he readily shares through his popular demonstrations and teaching sessions.

He usually tours once every two years, usually Canada and the USA. Here is some publicity given to his

2001 tour http://www.rochesterwoodworkers.org/devos/devos1.htm

His farming background taught him to be innovative and as a result he has designed and made many of his own

tools including a very effective hollowing system.

For more info suggest you look at his website, www.JackdeVos.com