Doust Family

George William Doust was born in Toodyay Western Australia. George worked for James Maclean Dempster around Buckland before he went with Andrew Dempster to Esperance to work as a shepherd before 1879.

George married Catherine Griffin (Kate) of Esperance in Albany c.1885/6. The couple sailed to Albany for the wedding ceremony aboard the sailing ship Grace Starling. 

Kate worked at the Dempster Homestead and for a time was one of only five women in Esperance. According to all accounts, her kindness was apparent, and she had excellent housekeeping skills which she put to use at the homestead.

George drove bullock teams and did fencing for the Esperance Bay Land Co. He also was the undertaker and well as digging graves. For a time conducted the mail run from Esperance to Norseman. The couple had twelve children who were among the early school pupils in Esperance.

George Doust was elected to the Esperance Roads Board during the years 1895-97. The Doust name is captured at Doust’s Lagoon Location 2993. Another namesake after the Doust family is Doust Swamp located just south of Grass Patch Farm, the swamp was a government condenser maintained by the Foote Family.

C.J Doust, J Doust, E.H.E. Doust served in WW1.

Katherine Doust is buried at the Esperance cemetery.

RC 182†
DOUST, Katherine (Kate)
20-07-1931 aged 68 years @ Esperance
Burial: 21-07-1931 Minister: W. F. Rohan (Lay Reader), T. Giles, H. Sage
Funeral Director: W. G. Hearne
Place of birth: Toodjay, WA
Father: James Griffin (imperial pensioner)
Spouse: George m: Albany aged 21 years
Issue: Agnes, George, Ester, James, Rose, Henry, Mabel, Albert, Charles, Myrtle + 1 m & 1 f child (dec).
Inscription: ‘Our Dear Mother. Erected by her children’.