Dur-e Najaf Dara

Dur-e Najaf Dara (born 18 September 1945) is an Australian restaurateur and businesswoman.

She moved to Australia in 1962 and attended Presbyterian Ladies' College in Melbourne. She later studied social work at the University of Melbourne.

She has also been director of the Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition, and has served on the advisory boards of the Women's Reference Group of the Victorian Equal Opportunity Commission; William Angliss College; RMIT School of Tourism and Hospitality; and the Swinburne School of Hospitality and Tourism.

She is or has been patron of the Victorian Foundation for the Survivors of Torture; elder, Women's Circus Victoria; and a member of the Victorian Immigrant and Refugee Women's Coalition, the Tamil Eelam Women's Organisation, the Melbourne Chapter of the Australian Symposium of Gastronomy, Asia Link, Habitat for Humanity and Asia Society.

Recognition In 1997, Dara was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in recognition of service to the community and to promotional and fundraising activities for women's groups. Dara has also received the Vida Goldstein Award for excellence in her trade.