McDonald's Tecoma protester turns 50 on rooftop Janine Watson is spending her 50th birthday on a rooftop with Mark Lawrence as they protest the Tecoma McDonald's. McDONALD'S protester Janine Watson had planned on spending her 50th birthday relaxing in a hot spa. Instead she'll be camping on a Tecoma rooftop in cold weather hoping some kind fellow protester will pass up a piece of cake to her. She turns 50 on Wednesday, as she enters day three of her rooftop vigil with three other protesters. The roof of the building they are camping on is to be demolished to make way for the golden arches at the township, at the foot of the Dandenongs. This is no roof-wetting 50th birthday bash: Janine is even too nervous to celebrate with a glass of bubbly. I don't know if I'd be charged with drinking while I'm trespassing. VCAT approved the 24-hour outlet last October and residents have been campaigning steadily since, including using guerilla garden gnomes to make their point. The latest wave of protests comes at a bad time for Ms Watson. On the first day of the rooftop rally she realised she would miss a doctor's appointment to have stitches in her foot removed, so she had to organise for a first aid kit to be sent up. Fellow protester Mark Lawrence then bravely rolled up his sleeves and removed the stitches. She recently cut her foot on glass, severing the tendons. Tuesday was her dad's birthday and Janine was due to attend a huge family get-together with her son who came from Canberra and her brother who flew down from Perth. She didn't even get to wave to her dad: he's too frail to leave his home. She had grand plans for her birthday tomorrow. A luxury trip to the Mornington Peninsula to wallow in a hot spa, drink bubbly and generally welcome in her half century in a thoroughly civilised manner. But she's philosophical about her bizarre birthday: "It's about making sacrifices for the higher good," she explained. Janine said her family had been very supportive of her spur of the moment decision to head to the roof. The rooftop four are sharing a tent and taking turns in sleeping in it. And on tonight's menu is curry, courtesy of some kind protester who handed it up to them. Protesters have also donated 20 sleeping bags, jackets and food to ward off the cold. The Belgrave resident is a community worker and is currently on sick leave. And how long does she intend staying up on the roof? "We'll play it by ear," she said.