In 1946, twins Jenny Jackson and Jan Morland were hailed as “the miracle babies”.

They were born three months premature and each weighed 2lb (907g), which they were told made them, at the time, the smallest babies to be born in New Zealand and survive.

The pair turned 80 on March 17.

Jackson said their mother, Margaret Arnott, fell while catching a tram in Auckland and went into labour. She was rushed to St Helen’s Hospital to give birth.

“They didn’t think we would live more than a few minutes,” she said.

Jan Morland spent her 80th birthday in Portland, Oregon.

“I’ve only got my mother’s word for this, but the sister in the theatre opted in as godmother and we were even given death names - Bridget and Patricia.”

The pair were eventually taken to Karitane Hospital, wrapped in rolls of cotton wool and put in a rudimentary incubator, “basically, a hot water bottle wrapped in a blanket”, Jackson said.

“Nowadays, there are tubes and things for your breathing but we didn’t have any of that.

“It was ‘Get on with it or don’t’. Obviously, we got on with it. We came home after about six months.”

From a young age, she and her sister were completely different, Morland said.

Morland, who lives in Auckland, celebrated her 80th birthday with family in Portland, Oregon, while Jackson had a party at home in Whanganui.

“We don’t even look like twins, we’re not identical whatsoever, but we do look out for one another.

“When we were babies, I was the chubby one with curly hair, and she was the skinny one with straight hair.

“I hate to say it, but nowadays, it’s the other way around.”

Jackson said her mother told her there was a daily newspaper report about the “miracle babies”.

Twins Janis Morland and Jenny Jackson (pictured) are turning 80. They were among the smallest babies ever born in NZ up to 1946 and were expected to live for only a few hours.

“Our names were changed after we got home - Janice Margaret after my mother, and Jennifer Elizabeth after her only sister.

“To be honest, I would have preferred to keep Bridget.”

She said she was always in trouble in their youth.

“I got belted one day for throwing mud pies on to the back of the house. I remember it vividly.

“Jan was there, saying ‘It was her, it was her’.

“She always wore pink and white, and I always wore green and blue because it didn’t show the dirt.”

Jackson, who has eight grandchildren, ran Simply Flowers in Whanganui with husband Charles Jackson handling the books, before retiring to Jane Winstone Village.

“Our one claim to fame was 10 minutes on telly for the Maggie Barry show,” she said.

“At the time, we had a big garden that was open to the public. It was called Ohorere.

“We did a lot of weddings. It was great but it was bloody hard work.”

Twins Jenny (left) and Jan each weighed 2lb when they were born.

Charles Jackson said he had heard a story about the twins’ shared bedroom being divided in two with a length of tape.

“Jan’s side was neat and tidy, and you couldn’t see the carpet on Jen’s side,” he said.

“It might sound strange but I think it’s fairly common for twins to be completely different.”

Jenny Jackson said she had been a gardener all her life, and Jan had been a top sportswoman.

“We’ve always been opposites and it’s too late to change now.”

Morland retired aged 75 after working in the travel, insurance and property industries.

“I come over [to the United States] as much as I can to be with my daughter and I can see my grandsons as well,” she said.

“They are the light of my life.”

She said she and her sister “got off to a shaky start” in life “but we turned out okay”.

“We must have been really determined or our mum was really determined to make sure we saw it through.”

Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily Whanganui District Council.