The original form of this website was created in 2001.
This is a reduced version.
Opdated 1st of November 2007.
This website starts in 1957 when the the first 2 Durans from Holland arrived in Australia.

Hi there, My name is Michael Duran and I arrived in Australia on May 17th 1957 from Holland with my wife Tonny. We were the only ones of the families to migrate so we left quit a few family members behind, not counting our Parents. After a stay of about 6 weeks in a Migration centre in Bonegilla (Victoria) we found a place,in Melbourne, to stay and for me a place to work. Tonny could not go to work because we found out that she was expecting our first child, who also would be the first Australian Duran. Since we arrived in Australia I held the following jobs:
 

Sutton Tools & Gauge 3.5 years
Northgate Brickworks 10 months
Olivetti Australia Pty. Ltd. 17 years
Self Employed in Office Equipment 3 years
University of Queensland 12 years
Brisbane City Counsel 7 years

After about 3 years with Olivetti in Melbourne I was transferred to there Queensland Office in Brisbane which was the best thing what could have happened to me. During all those years our family kept expending and, at this stage April 2002,still is and this is when our family in Holland started to refer to us as the Australian part of the family, hence. "The Aussie Durans"


1st. Generation

 

Michael 1958 Melbourne Victoria Australia
Steven 1960 Melbourne Victoria Australia
Richard 1963 Melbourne Victoria Australia
Rodney 1964 Melbourne Victoria Australia
Leonie 1967 Brisbane Queensland Australia
Karen 1968 Brisbane Queensland Australia
Mandy 1973 Brisbane Queensland Australia


2nd. Generation

1 Chris Duran 1982 Brisbane Qld. Australia
2 Kirsty Duran 1983 Beaudesert Qld. Australia
3 David Duran 1985 Brisbane Qld. Australia
4 Aleesha Duran 1987 Brisbane Qld. Australia
5 Mathew Duran 1988 Brisbane Qld. Australia
6 Robert Duran 1990 Brisbane Qld. Australia
7 Jessica Duran 1990 Logan Qld. Australia
8 Michael Duran 1992 Townsville Qld. Australia
9 Nicholas Duran 1992 Logan Qld. Australia
10 Joshua Harvey 1994 Logan Qld. Australia
11 Riley Thompson 1994 Logan Qld. Australia
12 Tom Harvey 1995 Logan Qld. Australia
13 Ruby Thompson 1995 Logan Qld. Australia
14 Michael Thompson 1997 Townsville Qld. Australia
15 Amy Harvey 1997 Logan Qld. Australia
16 Ethan Gray 1999 Brisbane Qld. Australia
17 Emily Gray 2002 Brisbane Qld. Australia


Here are our 17 Grandchildren , from Chris the oldest at 20 to Emily the youngest at just 2 months old.  


Chris

 


Kirsty

 


David

 


Aleesha

 


Mathew

 


Robert

 


Jessica

 

 


Michael

 


Nicholas

 


Joshua

 


Reily

 


Tom

 


Ruby

 


Michael

 


Emy

 
Ethan

 


 Emily

 


The song " Que Sera Sera " , which you can hear when you click on the picture , holds a specific meaning for us, I tell you : It was in January 1957 and although we both had been approved for a visa to migrate to Australia we still were in doubt wether this was the right thing for us to do. The visa was for 6 months and would expire on the 6th of April 1957.There was only one sailing date left which we could use before we had to apply for an extension of the Visa. It was on a Sunday morning at Tonny's home when , what we now call our song, was played on the radio. It was the line " what ever will be will be " which stuck with us.
We looked at each other and I said to Tonny " We are going this time " and so we did. We sailed on the SS.Sibajak the 6th of April 1957 and arrived in Australia on the 17th of May and we never regretted our decision.
This is what happened!!!!
46 years later.


On October the 3rd 2004 a reuniun took place of the Duran's in Holland.
To see the photo's click here