Wild profile: Doug McMillan

Generous Wilderness Society bequestor, Doug McMillan, 1922-2011. Photo: Courtesy of Doug's family and friends.

The Wilderness Society recently received a very generous bequest from Doug McMillan - loyal public servant, adventurer-seeker, talented photographer, and life-long lover of wilderness.

The following short biography was kindly provided by Doug's friend, Marie Laming.

Douglas John McMillan was born in 1922 and lived all his life in Cottlesloe, Perth, Western Australia.

Doug joined the public service at Perth Technical College in 1940 and, apart from the time he spent with the Australian Army (1940-1946), he remained with the College for his entire working life. At his retirement, he was the school's longest serving Enrolment Officer. He was also a Councillor of the Civil Service Association for 20 years.

Doug loved the Australian outback - the more remote the better. He drove around Australia many times, travelling with friends with similar interests. He always kept a diary of his journeys, and was a very keen photographer. In fact, his photos were so wonderful that the Kodak store (in Perth's Hay Street Mall) displayed enlargements of many of his best shots in their windows. Doug took some of his most beautiful photos during a one-day flight to the Antarctic in 1979.

Conservation of the land was Doug's passion. He was an active member of the Friends of Bold Park, and belonged to many other organisations including Shenton Park Bushland, the Naturalists Club, the Historical Society and the Wilderness Society.

In the final years of his life, Doug retired to a nursing home and passed away there in October 2011. He bequeathed all his assets to charities and societies.

Cottlesloe has lost one of its oldest residents, and Doug will be sadly missed by all his friends and neighbours.

Learn more about bequests:

To learn more about leaving a bequest to the Wilderness Society, contact Juanita Frost on (03) 9038 0829 or via email: juanita.frost@wilderness.org.au