IT'S ALL IN THE FAMILY

Sebastian and Holly Durran

When twins Sebastian (Seb) and Holly Durran finish Year 12 at the end of this year, no-one will be prouder than their grandfather Ken Durran (Ge’59). ‘Geelong Grammar has been a part of our family life for three generations now – over 70 years’, he noted. The Durran family’s connection started when Ken’s brother Jim (Ge’56) was offered a scholarship to both The Geelong College and Geelong Grammar. Their parents chose GGS because of its Anglican church ethos, and Ken and Jim subsequently sent their own children to the School. Sebastian and Holly are the children of Ken’s youngest son, Peter (A’90), and his wife Michelle. ‘We have a history in our family of each generation winning a scholarship’, explained Ken. ‘It has certainly been a helping hand.’

For Sebastian and Holly, GGS ‘was something which we had always heard about and was in our DNA’, explained Sebastian. ‘Our parents married in the Chapel here, so we visited the campus several times. They wanted us to see it in case we were not lucky enough to receive scholarships and attend. We never thought of any other option except Grammar. It was just a case of working out how to make it happen.’ Holly and Sebastian went to a local primary school in Geelong, and GGS was not a typical destination for its students moving into secondary school. ‘We hadn’t told anyone except for the teachers who wrote references for us in Year 6’, remembered Holly. ‘I remember getting home and the letters were there. Seb and I went to separate rooms to open them in case one of us didn’t get in. We were both successful. I was so excited! My mum cried.’ Peter said, ‘It was fantastic. I was very proud of them, as it’s not easy to get a scholarship. The school saw something in them.’

Both Peter and Michelle have worked hard for their twins to attend GGS. ‘It was never hard for me when I was looking at my kids. I always wanted better for my children than what I had. It wasn’t a challenge; just put your head down and do it,’ Peter said.Sebastian and Holly were both offered the Annual Giving Scholarship, funded by the many donors who have contributed to the Foundation’s annual fundraising campaign. This means that donations large and small have supported Sebastian and Holly’s education. ‘I am extremely grateful for what they have done for us and others’, said Holly. Sebastian added: ‘For many people, Geelong Grammar is an exceptional education, but not everyone can afford a GGS education. My parents have stable jobs, but my family wouldn’t have been able to afford the School without scholarships. I have always wanted to attend the School and I could not be more grateful to the donors for giving me the opportunity, which I wouldn’t have had otherwise.’

Ken’s own experience of GGS in the 1950s, and later as a parent in the 1980s, was that it ‘worked on the principle that you had to earn it to get there – it wasn’t handed to you’. This philosophy applied not only to the selection of prefects and the awarding of colours, but also the scholarship programme which opened up a GGS education to a wide range of people. ‘There are a lot of students on scholarships or receiving some sort of financial assistance; so many kids who would

be unable to attend a school like GGS without this vital support,’ Peter adds.Sebastian agrees and nominates Yalari as another example of the diversity of the School’s programme. ‘I am friends with many Indigenous students, who are all incredible. Bringing everyone’s unique experiences together helps you develop as a person.’

Holly and Sebastian both have had individual success at school beyond their academic studies. Sebastian was awarded a choral scholarship, most recently performing a poignant solo in the Senior School musical, Anastasia. Peter was very proud of Holly when she was named sailing captain. His own passion for sailing accelerated during Senior School. ‘Over summer I would sail five days a week. My whole family love sailing, which started with my grandfather.’

Holly hopes to study international relations, while Sebastian is thinking about a gap year first, followed by a degree in psychology – informed in part by his own personal challenges experienced while living in a unit at Timbertop. ‘Resilience and managing through hardship’ are the attributes that Sebastian will take away with him from school – to which Holly adds empathy. ‘You have a greater ability to connect with people and to work things out. You are put in situations where you practice these skills, particularly at Timbertop.’

Their grandfather, Ken, is happy that Sebastian and Holly have set themselves a direction for their future careers. ‘I hope what they want comes about for them’, he says. ‘It doesn’t matter what a person wants to do in life as long as they are happy. One of the things I admire most about Seb and Holly is their attitude towards what they want to do and how well they speak to you – I’m pretty proud of that.’ He is hopeful that future generations of Durrans will attend GGS but, in the meantime, the future is in Sebastian and Holly’s hands, and it looks bright. ‘I think they’ve used their scholarship well’, says Ken.

‘One of the things I admire most about Seb and Holly is their attitude towards what they want to do and how well they speak to you – I’m pretty proud of that.’

Ken Durran (Ge’59)