BIRTHDAYS are usually spent with friends and family. And the birthday boy or girl typically receives gifts from loved ones as part of the celebration. For Datuk Irwan Shah Abdullah, better known as DJ Dave, his birthdays are usually spent with children from welfare homes. It has been a tradition for him to do so for the last 49 years. His 72nd birthday this year saw some 55 children from Malaysian Down Syndrome Association (MDSA) enjoying a birthday party with a circus theme. DJ Dave said every year on his birthday, he would visit as many homes as possible to share happiness with underprivileged children. “I like seeing children happy through this celebration and I will keep on doing this as long as I am alive. “Every year, the celebration is different and the theme for this 72nd birthday is ‘happiness when others are happy with you’. “I try to make it meaningful as I am happy to see the looks of delight on their faces,” he said. Also present to liven up the birthday party was singer Mohd Amani Abdullah, also known as Fredo Flybaits. MDSA president Hanizan Hussin said the association was honoured to receive an invitation from DJ Dave and she was happy to see the children enjoying themselves. “Apart from the birthday celebration, he gave us a cheque for RM2,000,” she added. DJ Dave, who is also president of Yayasan Artis 1Malaysia, said he would participate in the Asian Badminton World Federation next month.