The Y WA is deeply saddened by the passing of Lindsay Isaac ‘Lin’ Doust, a remarkable community member whose lifelong service, generosity, and commitment to preserving our history helped shape the Y movement across Western Australia and beyond.
Lin’s connection to the Y began in 1940, when he first walked into YMCA Fremantle as a curious ten-year-old. Over the next seven decades, he gave his time and heart to the movement — never as a staff member, but as someone who simply loved to serve.
Whilst in his own words, Lin would espouse his lifetime achievement as the family, home and garden, he and wife Beth created in suburban Attadale; here at the Y WA, we would point to the magnitude of his achievements and contributions to the movement, not just locally, but nationally and internationally.
- Member of YMCA Fremantle since 1940
- Member of Endeavour Club, Vikings Club, YMCA Hockey Club, and Athletics Club
- Charter President of the Vikings Club
- Charter President of the Fremantle Y’s Men’s Club
- Western Districts Y’s Men Governor
- Regional Director, Y’s Men Australia
- International Director of the Brothers Club, forging strong ties with YMCA movements in China and Russia
- Board Member, Fremantle YMCA
- Board Member, Perth YMCA (now the Y WA)
Lin remains the only Western Australian to hold Life Membership with both Fremantle and Perth YMCA’s, a testament to the extraordinary impact of his service.
In 2013, Lin was nominated for the WA Volunteer of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award. He contributed actively to the documented history of the Y in WA and, as a retired Royal Australian Navy service man himself took great pride in documenting the military service records of hundreds of WA YMCA volunteers across all theatres of war from World War I to Korea and Vietnam. Lin’s work has been recognised by and sits proudly in the National War Memorial in Canberra.
For many years, Lin cared for our museum room at the Y WA head office, curating decades of memorabilia from jackets, badges, signs, photos, trophies and more. In recognition of his contribution, the space was renamed to the Lin Doust Room in 2018.
Each year, Lin’s spirit is honoured through the Lin Doust Award for Human Flourishing, presented at the Y WA Staff Awards to recognise those who embody the generosity, warmth, and community-mindedness he lived every day. Lin took immense pride in returning annually to present this award, and his absence will be deeply felt at this year’s ceremony.
Lin never sought recognition, yet his legacy lives in every corner of the Y - in the friendships formed, the communities strengthened, and the belief that through connection, we can all belong, grow, and flourish.
Thank you, Lin, for showing us what a life of service truly means.