Triple tribute for Steve
9 November 2007
Matthew, Tayla and Riley Clegg celebrate their eighth birthday on Steve Irwin Day.
Tayla likes her animals cute and cuddly.
Her brothers Matthew and Riley prefer snakes, crocodiles and spiders.
But one thing all the Clegg triplets can agree on is their hero, Steve Irwin.
“He is great,” Tayla said.
“I really like Bindi too. Her show is my favourite.”
The Buderim siblings, who are almost eight, love Steve Irwin so much that their parents bought an annual pass to Australia Zoo when they were five and have renewed it every year since.
It was during one of their frequent trips to the zoo that they learnt about Steve Irwin Day, and the link between Steve and triplets became even stronger.
“It is the same day as our birthday,” Tayla said.
“We are going to have an Australian animal theme party. My favourite is the koala. But I like polar bears the best because they are so cute and cuddly. But they are not Australian so I like koalas.”
Their mum, Christine, thought she could take the animal theme one step further and has registered her children’s party as a fundraiser for the Irwin charity Wildlife Warriors.
From close family and friends they have already raised $100 and hope that the official celebration next week will raise even more.
“It is a completely voluntary thing,” Christine said.
“We just thought it would be a fitting thing to do. The kids just loved Steve and they adore Bindi and they really love animals.
“When we saw their birthday was also Steve Irwin day, we just thought we could do something to help.”
The Cleggs have also jumped at the chance to plant a tree for Steve.
They visited Fairhill Naive Plants and Botanic Gardens nursery in Yandina yesterday to check out the natives ahead of this weekend.
“It is just a lovely idea,” Christine said.
“The kids love planting things – they have a vegetable garden out the back. But when I saw the promotion in the Daily, I thought that is something we can definitely do.
“Seeing as Steve was into conservation, it’s something I think would please him. To have people planting trees rather than cutting them down.”