05.26 pm, Friday May 25 2012

Rudd sends birthday wishes to PNG namesake

17:45 AEDT Sun Mar 6 2011
Ilya Gridneff, AAP Papua New Guinea Correspondent
VIEWS: 0
| FLOCKS: 0
| comments0 comments so far
Also on
Pants downBear attacks man on toilet BreakthroughArrest in missing boy case Wedding hitGroom 'punches above his weight' Hugging dadPhotos released in custody battle confessionKelly cites Scientology bunny timeKate Upton hits the bikini beach

Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Kevin Rudd has sent a birthday card wishing his Papua New Guinean namesake, Kevin Rudd Jnr, a happy third birthday.

Mr Rudd sent the card to a remote village in PNG to mark the special day for the boy, who was given the name five minutes after the then PM made a visit to a local hospital on March 7, 2008.

"To Kevin Rudd, Happy Birthday, Kevin Rudd," he wrote. "Be a good boy, when you go to school work hard and love your family."

Elated parents Esau and Lina Kitgi, from Degi village in Eastern Highlands Province (EHP), said it was a huge honour.

"We are so happy for this," Mr Kitgi said.

"Little Kev is doing fine and growing strong."

Kevin Rudd Jnr was born in EHP's Goroka General Hospital and the family said they named the boy to honour Mr Rudd after he dropped by.

PNG's little prince has come to embody the strengthening bonds between neighbours and a newfound bilateral cohesion after troubled times during John Howard's time as PM.

The Kitgi family expressed dismay when Mr Rudd was axed as PM last year but remained loyal to him, scotching suggestions they would change the baby's name.

In another EHP village, minutes after Julia Gillard made history by becoming Australia's first woman prime minister on June 24, a PNG mother gave birth to her first baby and the overjoyed family named the girl Julia Gillard.

Talk that the two littlies should form a coalition together has broken down, family representatives told AAP.

Kevin Jnr has become somewhat of minor celebrity in PNG, with regular appearances in the local press and international tourists visiting his remote village.

About the time of the toddler's second birthday, the family urged Mr Rudd to take a tougher stand on the environment, telling AAP that K-Rudd II was a "climate change victim", having caught malaria due to warming temperatures.

Late last year AAP also reported how Kevin Jnr had reached a milestone when he uttered the words "mum" and "dad".

But he's still struggling with one of Mr Rudd's favourite phrases, "programmatic specificity".

 

Most popular

 Skye's death was not in vain, her dad saysAs Skye Sassine's killer is sentenced to at least 14 years imprisonment, her parents say Skye's Law means the toddler's death was not in vain.
 Alleged child prostitute 'feared mistress'A 12-year-old girl allegedly involved in a Sydney child prostitution ring worried about getting into trouble if she didn't provide sex, a court has heard.
 Corby worse than a terrorist: judgeThe chief justice of Indonesia's Constitutional Court has criticised the Schapelle Corby clemency decision, saying drug crimes are worse than terrorism.
 Heavy winds to hit rain-soaked MelbourneMelbourne has copped a drenching and while the worst of the wet has happened, the city's bay areas will be hit by gale force winds.
 Another big rattle for ChristchurchA 5.2 earthquake has struck Christchurch but early reports suggest it has not caused any major damage or injury.
 Man says he suffocated missing NY boy

A man has told New York police he suffocated a long-missing six-year-old boy, in a possible break in a crime that helped launch a missing children's movement across the United States.

 Qld woman sues over gravy slipA Queensland woman is suing a bowls club after slipping on spilled gravy and dislocating her knee.
 Groom's wedding song has audience in stitches

He admits to punching above his weight and drooling in bed but a UK groom has become an internet hit with a self-depreciating wedding song he penned for his bride.

 Abusive email man in contemptA man has been found in contempt of court over an expletive-ridden email to a Victorian Supreme Court judge threatening violence against another man.
 Dying man finds support on World of WarcraftIn the game of World of Warcraft, Patrice Anseline is a level 85 Blood Elf Death Knight called Sackmagraph, of the Dath'Remar Horde’s Hydra guild.
Be our fan on Facebook
Most Recommended
You need the latest version of Flash Player.
Enjoy the most vivid content on the web
Watch video without extra features
Interact with applications on your favourite sites
Upgrade now

page complete