La Fontaine was born at the country town of Eskdale, Victoria. While still a youngster his parents, Cyrelle and Beatrice, brought the family to Melbourne where they settled in the suburb of Footscray. He had three brothers, Claude, Lionel and Donald. La Fontaine attended St Joseph's CBC North Melbourne from 1925-29 where he earned the title Captain of College three years in a row; 1927, 1928 and 1929. At school he made his mark as both an excellent athlete, handball player and footballer. In 1930 he went on to complete his secondary education at St Kevin's College, Melbourne before proceeding to university where he was eventually granted Bachelor of Science in 1946. La Fontaine enjoyed a variety of activities which included boxing, cricket and in 1936 working as a seaman on an oil tanker bound for America. In July 1940, La Fontaine married Mary Williams at St Patrick's Cathedral. During World War II, he served as a Flying Officer with the RAAF between 1942 and 1945, and he saw action in New Guinea and the nearby islands. Two of his brothers served in the Australian Army during the same conflict. On his return he took up his trade as an industrial chemist and analyst in a Melbourne business. La Fontaine died in Sydney in August 1999 and is buried in Macquarie Park Cemetery.
Football career
Recruited to the Old Paradians by its founder Lou Arthur, La Fontaine vindicated the transport magnate's faith by booting an incredible 143 goals in the football club's inaugural season of 1929. His football career changed dramatically when he was later recruited from University Blacks. In his last year as an amateur he kicked a record 197 goals for the season. He was considered a brilliant amateur full-forward, and was to earn his fame playing with the Melbourne Football Club as a centreman. He was appointed captain of Melbourne in 1936. He led the club to their hat-trick of premierships in 1939, 1940 and 1941. La Fontaine went on to coach Melbourne from 1949 until 1951. In 1996 La Fontaine was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame.
