FOR young leaplings Paige Higginbottom and Max Oswin, today is an auspicious day.
Born on February 29, 2012 and February 29, 2008 respectively, this afternoon Paige and Max will have a rare chance to celebrate the day they were born — on the correct date.
Paige, who is four years old, will celebrate her very first birthday with a Barbie party at Tower Hill Park this afternoon while eight-year-old Max will head to Kerang Swimming Pool for his second birthday party.
“I actually went into labour on the morning of February 28, so we thought she’d be well and truly born before February 29,” said Paige’s mum Michelle Slater.
“But she didn’t end up arriving until seven o’clock the next day. She took her time, she obviously wanted to arrive on February 29.”
“I’ve only ever met one other person with a leap day birthday,” said Kerryn Finch, mother of Max.
“It’s a such a rare, unique thing.”
Leap years, a quirk which syncs our calendar with the earth’s rotation around the sun, occur every four years so in the non-leap years Paige and Max traditionally celebrate their day of birth on February 28.
For more on this story pick up today’s leap day edition of the Guardian (February 29, 2016).
