Kevin Burgess has waited a long time to celebrate his 21st birthday - 84 years, in fact.
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Born on February 29, 1936, the Shellharbour great-grandfather is one of about 17,000 Australian leap year babies, who only get the chance to mark their birthday on the right date every four years.
A former professional and travelling tent boxer, known for decades as Kevin Rose, Mr Burgess joined his extended family to mark both his 21st and 84th birthdays on Saturday.
He reckons we owe him a lot of presents this year, because he missed out on so many birthdays.
Overwhelmed by the fuss, Mr Burgess said he wasn't used to getting much attention on his birthday.
"Unusually, dad only had one brother - Eric - and he was also born in a leap year, almost exactly four years before dad, but on the 28th of February," Mr Burgess's eldest son, Wayne explained.
"Three out of four years, of course, they had to share a birthday."
"He reckons we owe him a lot of presents this year, because he missed out on so many birthdays," his daughter Debra added.
February 29 is - unsurprisingly since it comes round a lot less frequently than all the others - the rarest date of the year to be born (followed by December 25).
Assuming birthdays are spread evenly throughout the year (which they are not), there's a one in 1461 chance of being a leapling.
With his rare birthday, Mr Burgess has waited so long to "come of age" - as it was termed in the past - that even the idea of turning 21 has lost some of its significance.
In 1957, when his 21st birthday clocked over somewhere in the seconds between the February 28 and March 1, he would have gained both the right to vote and the right to legally drink alcohol.
However, the voting and drinking age were both lowered in the 1970s, and these days 21st birthday celebrations are less of an Australian milestone.
Nevertheless, Saturday's double party was a chance to reflect on a life full of adventure and action.
After becoming a boxer because he'd heard it might make for better treatment during his mandatory national service, Mr Burgess was in 88 professional fights and thousands of boxing tent bouts.
He taught his three sons, Wayne, Danny and Ricky to box very early, proudly putting the eldest in a fight when he was just nine-years-old.
He also ran his own boxing gym for 38 years, and - in retirement - became a lifesaver and got his bronze medallion at age 57.
About 10 years ago, he and childhood sweetheart and wife of many decades, Gwendoline, moved to the Illawarra to be closer to family.
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Kate McIlwain
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
