Twins make pact for extreme birthday

Twin siblings Natalie and Scott Withers (second row, centre) surrounded by their family and friends after they spent their 22nd birthday jumping out of a plane.

The Northern Star

NATALIE WITHERS and her twin brother Scott, 22, made a pact years ago to be with each other on their birthdays.

But this year they made another one.

To embark on one extreme adventure together each year from now on to celebrate their birthdays.

And this year was the first.

On Monday, the twins launched themselves out of a plane with the help of skydiving instructors Garry Gnapp, Joe Stein and Roger Mulckey, from Go Sky Dive at Byron Bay, on a twin tandem jump.

“I have wanted to do this since my 18th birthday,” Natalie said.

“I want to do something spontaneous on each birthday before I get too old.

“On my next birthday I want to go the Western Australia and dive in a cage with the sharks.

“Or go bungy jumping.”

Natalie said she and her brother were picked up in a limousine from their mother's home in Ballina and taken to Kingsford Smith Park so they 'could be shown what to do'.

“They wanted us to watch other skydivers so we knew what to do,” Natalie said.

“Then we went to Ballina-Byron Airport and we were put in a little plane.

“It took us 20 minutes to climb to 14,000 feet, the highest point you can jump from.

“I started to feel a little sick as the plane wound around and around on its way up.

“We could see from Byron Bay to Lennox Head, it was beautiful.

“Scott went first and then two seconds later I went.

“It was an amazing feeling to free fall. I felt I was flying and could not believe I was doing it.

“I want to do it again.

“It was amazing and I still have a smile on my face.”

Natalie said she was able to steer her parachute on the way down.

“It was crazy. Now I want to get into the sport because I loved it so much,” she said.

Natalie said she would be on the hunt for more adventurous things to do on their birthdays from now on.

“The next thing I want to do is night skydiving,” she said.