Sarah Oliver
Melton locals Jessica, Shamus and Leslie Treadwell didn’t expect to see a photo of themselves as three-year-olds with their mum in a November edition of Star Weekly.
But when they did, the never before seen photo retrieved from the archives brought a smile to their faces.
The triplets were featured on the front page of Star Weekly’s predecessor, The Mail-Express, in 1991 in a story about the local Multiple Birth Society.
The group would meet once a month “late at night, usually once the children are in bed,” the article read.
But Jessica remembers their time in the group and still keeps in touch with some of the other kids.
The three siblings still live in Melton and have all worked in hospitality around the city, including a stint working at the same venue.
Jessica said they have always been really close and she feels they got lucky to have each other.
“We have two older sisters…but obviously we’ve always been close.”
The siblings’ mother, Cora, has since passed away and is buried at the Melton cemetery.
“She was awesome. She was a nurse for 17 years so she was taking care of others as well as us,” Jessica said.
“She was really strong.”
Shamus and Leslie both have children of their own now, although no multiple births (yet).
Jessica’s advice to families with multiple-birth children is to “let them be them”.
“It’s sometimes a bit hard when you’re all the same age to compare a bit… I think it’s really important to let everybody be who they are,” she said.
“Don’t be worried about them because they will always have friends.”
