Resident of Rand Aid celebrates his rare birthday
Born in 1940 during World War II, Peter found a home in Glasgow, Scotland, at a time when Scotland was being bombed by the Luftwaffe.
February 29 was a special day for Peter Ronald because, for the first time in four years, he celebrated his birthday on his actual birth date.
With leap years generally only coming around every four years, Peter has had only 21 ‘actual’ birthdays in his 84 years.
“This makes me younger than my granddaughter, who is 24 years old,” joked Peter.
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A resident of Rand Aid retirement village Elphin Lodge, Peter said being a leap-year baby made him feel special, especially as a child.
He says he has never met another person born on February 29.
According to Peter, his rare birthday makes filling his birth date in on official forms interesting, as it always sparks questions.
“On a non-leap year, I celebrate either on the day before or the following day, which is March 1, depending on the availability of family and friends,” explained Peter
He said generally his birthdays are more grandly celebrated in a leap year.
Born in 1940 during World War II, Peter found a home in Glasgow, Scotland, at a time when Scotland was being bombed by the Luftwaffe.
Three years after the war ended, his family emigrated to Bulawayo. Peter worked in the transport industry, including the rail, road and international sectors.
In 1965 he married Majorie Jane Cornfort and in 1986, they relocated to South Africa.
The couple will celebrate their 59th wedding anniversary this year.
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“Being born in WWII created within me an interest in military history. I was in the Rhodesian wars and attained the position of infantry major, although I retained my career and was not a full-time officer,” said Peter.
Other interests of Peter include growing roses, for which he has won several awards, and learning about science.
“Our most permanent residence was in Edenvale, before moving to Elphin Lodge more than 14 years ago.”
Peter said he and his wife love it at the village.
“We have three children, a son and two daughters. We also have three grandchildren. Dominque (24) is in her fourth year of social work at Pretoria University while Sebastian (9) and Isabella (5) live in Cyprus.”
