For Kayla Ferguson and Jackson Hayes there was a brand new reason to celebrate this Australia Day, the birth of their son Chayse Robert James Hayes at Bendigo Health.
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Mr Hayes said having a baby was an experience like no other, no matter which day it fell on.
"It's very surreal, the feeling that you get when a baby's born is more than you could even comprehend, just the instant love, and everything is so real," he said.
Mr Hayes spoke to the Bendigo Advertiser shortly after holding his son for the first time.
"That was the first time I held Chayse just then, that was good because obviously when he was first born there were a few little dramas and he had to be taken out and put in special care," he said.
"He's come back good now, he's doing well, mum's doing really well too."
Mr Hayes said having a baby on Australia's national holiday made the experience a bit more special.
"It does because not only does he have his birthday on a public holiday so it's a lot easier to celebrate, but he gets a commemorative spoon from the government and a few other things that make it a bit more special," he said.
Chayse's birth is the latest in what is becoming a family tradition, with his father's own birthday falling on November 11, Remembrance Day.
