Volunteer Spotlight – Kim Doust

Whether it’s the joy Swan Districts have provided him as a supporter, the involvement he has had directly in recent years through the Swansmen or just knowing the impact club has in the community as a whole, Kim Doust beams with pride when thinking of what Swans mean to him.

The current Secretary of the Swansmen has Swan Districts in his blood and his greatest football memories are being there for the memorable premiership triumphs of 1983 and 2010.

But what the Swan Districts Football Club means to him extends far beyond that and it remains a significant part of his, and his family’s, life, and the whole impact that Swans have is what he takes greatest pride in.

“I am enormously proud of our Club and the way it supports local and broader communities. With programs in Onslow, Roebourne and locally, this Club has a moral conscience and is about so much more than football,” Doust said.

“It makes a difference in the lives of kids and young adults facing challenges. Our success is not measured in the number of Premierships, but in the way we embrace and support people with disabilities and people from all walks of life.

“We value our All-Abilities team, our girls’ and women’s football programs and welcome all people to be part of the ‘Swans Family’. Who wouldn’t want to be part of that?”

What involvement at Swans has been

Doust’s currently involved with the Swansmen is something he takes tremendous pride and satisfaction in.

“I am currently Secretary of the Swansmen; an organisation I’ve been involved in for around 10 years,” Doust said.

“I describe the Swansmen as being like a Men’s Shed for those who love their footy and Swans.

“We have monthly dinner meetings, at which we have guest speakers that have included people such as 2025 Senior Australian of the Year, Brother Olly Pickett; aviation expert, Geoffrey Thomas; former cricketers, Dennis Lillee, Graeme Wood and Craig Sarjeant and many more.”

Being part of the Auction Committee is another area of involvement that Doust has enjoyed because of how much help it ends up providing the club.

“For the past five or six years, I have been on the Auction Committee and worked with Trevor Hoy, Des Hardiman, SDFC staff, including Jeff Dennis, Jarrad Wright, Ross Leipold, Mitchell Eastman and Lucy-Claire McMinn, to put together an auction containing items that appeal to members and supporters,” Doust said.

“The annual auction raises between $55,000 and $65,000 each year and along with the Wine Wall and other activities, allows us to present an annual cheque to the Club of around $110,000.

“In recent years, this money has been used to put new carpet into the President’s Lounge, new doors on the administration building and improvements to the Lounge itself. We have also enabled improvements to be made to both the men’s and women’s changerooms.”

Foray into radio commentary

As a school teacher by trade and then with how passionate he was about Swan Districts and the game, Doust also ventured into WAFL radio commentary going back some 20 years.

Never one to look anything but professional, he was worried he would turn into Eddie McGuire commentating Collingwood matches, but as his daughter soon pointed out, the opposite might have happened.

“In the early 2000’s, I commentated WAFL on the radio and prior to commentating my first Swans game, I was concerned that my bias may be obvious to listeners, so I asked my daughter to listen to the commentary and provide feedback,” Doust said.

“It seems I may have tried too hard not to be biased towards Swans as my daughter’s summation was that I was “very hard” on Swans!”

First memories as a Swans supporter

In a strange twist, Doust’s grandparents started life out either as East Fremantle or South Fremantle supporters, but on his mother’s side they soon reverted to Swan Districts even though his father’s parents never quite caught on to the black-and-whites.

But it does mean that he has lifelong memories of following the game and Swan Districts in particular.

“My earliest memories of supporting Swans are of being taken to games at Bassendean Oval by my maternal grandparents in the 1960’s and watching my ‘heroes’ of the era in Ken Bagley, John Turnbull, Joe Lawson and Bill Walker,” Doust said.

“I still have a Member’s Badge from 1967. My grandparents originally lived in Applecross and were East Fremantle supporters but changed to support Swans after moving to Gidgegannup in 1957.

“My paternal grandparents were avowed South Fremantle supporters and my grandfather had a young apprentice in his butcher shop in 1955 by the name of John Todd.

“This, of course, was the year in which the 17-year-old Todd won the Sandover Medal and that was very good for business in the Fremantle shop!”

Greatest memory that sticks out

Doust certainly won’t be alone when he looks back to what the greatest memory that sticks out to him from supporting Swan Districts is.

The 2010 WAFL Grand Final at Subiaco Oval is a day that will go into folklore with the way Swan Districts defied the odds and won one of the more remarkable games in history where they were able to beat the red hot favourite Claremont.

Whether it was the sheer brilliance of Andrew Krakouer, the remarkable performance of a teenage Stephen Coniglio before his AFL career, the toughness and courage of captain Josh Roberts, or the coaching performance of Brian Dawson, it’s a day that Doust certainly never will forget.

“I think my favourite memory was attending the Grand Final in 2010 and witnessing what I will always say was the best game of WAFL ever played,” Doust said.

“The game saw one of the all-time great individual performances by the late Andrew Krakouer (40 disposals and four goals) and the emergence of 16-year-old, Stephen Coniglio, who also kicked four goals.”

Other standout memories

From a lifetime of supporting Swan Districts and being involved at the club in one form or another, that’s certainly not the only memory that stands out to Doust.

The 1983 Grand Final is another moment that sticks in his memory as far as premiership triumphs go. Even though in 1980 the result didn’t quite go the way of Swan Districts, it was still a memorable occasion because of the send off he received from the school he was teaching at in the Goldfields.

“Another favourite memory was attending the 1983 Grand Final, which was the ‘middle’ of our three-peat,” Doust said.

“I will always remember the astonishing first quarter, in which Swans kicked 10 goals, while holding East Fremantle goalless. The Sharks came back, but Swans won the game by 59 points.

“In 1980, I was teaching at Boulder Primary School and drove to Perth on the Friday prior to the Grand Final.

“I was given a great ‘send off’ by staff and students, as, with black and white scarves trailing from the windows, I drove to Perth to watch Swans play South Fremantle in the Grand Final. Unfortunately, it was a long and sombre trip back to Boulder, after Swans were defeated.”

Best part of involvement

For so many reasons, being part of Swan Districts and especially through the Swansmen is one of the great joys in life for Doust and he is proud to have picked up the Secretary position following the untimely passing of Steve Bakes only a couple of months ago.

“As I have said, I describe the Swansmen, as my ‘Men’s Shed’, where like-minded people have a social connection, while working in whatever capacity, towards raising important funds for the Club,” Doust said.

“Prior to 2026, my focus was as coordinator of the auction, but when our Secretary, Steve Bakes, became ill, I offered to assume that role, to ease his workload and pressure.

“Sadly, Steve passed away in September of this year, and I plan to continue as Secretary in honour of him.”

Encouraging others

Given what being involved at Swans has meant to Doust, and has for so many others, he couldn’t recommend the chance more highly to anyone else with a passion for the club, who love the game or who just want to feel part of a community to get involved in some way.

“If anyone is contemplating becoming involved in whatever capacity at Swans, I would urge you to do so,” Doust said.

“You will be welcomed and very quickly made to feel part of the ‘Swans Family’.”