~ Amanda

"Just fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave..."

This is truely tragic news. He was a great Aussie icon.

R.I.P man

Ta ra, you complete nutter.  Live by the swordfish, die by the swordfish?

I suppose he went the way he would have wanted to.  Pierced in the heart by a stingray.

finally.

Jazz, the poor man just died!  If you've got nothing nice to say why bother saying anything at all?

Anyway....

I just found out about this now on the news and am devastated by it.  Poor Steve.  He was such a youthful, vibrant, happy type of person who always seemed to radiate positivity while at the same time working so hard to make everyone aware of how to treat endangered animals, and what NOT to do.

 Rush and I were huge fans of Steve and I still am finding this hard to believe.  Infact I was only watching croc hunter on Saturday on t.v, so it seems so unreal.  I knew he would go that way one day, (like, die because of an animal) but at the same time he just seemed so invincible.  And he was still only 44! There's so much good he did for animals and helping them worldwide that I think it sucks so much that he had to be taken now, when he was still so young and still could have accomplished so much good in the world. But hopefully he will be remembered for the amazing amount of good he did do in the short time he was here.  This is just so sad.

Rest in peace, Steve-O.  You brought so much light, kindness and happiness into the world and it took you into its heart.

Blessed be.

"watch out for my cousin.."

I've just been sent word that the Australian media's treating the news like "it's Diana all over again"!

Nice guy and all that (although I found 10-15 minutes of him in one sitting was more than enough) - but a bit of perspective pur-leease!

I've also found myself chuckling this morning at the memory of the South Park parody of him : "Now I'm gonna stick me thumb up 'is arse and really piss 'im off!"

DMG

I hope they cannot see / The limitless potential / Building inside of me / To murder everything / I hope they cannot see / I am the great destroyer

Not really, if anything the media coverage down here is quite lacking (compared to Diana).

Is anyone else reminded of the Herzog film Grizzly Man? 

Maddy, what I said was nicer than what I actually wanted to write about this nitwit.
Just stating nice things is more your thing anyway. 

My reaction is somewhere between Jazz and Maddy's.

Irwin was always a tourist's Australian rather than an Austrailian's Australian. I always hated that "by-crikey, a dingo eat me old fellah" Australian stereotype. He was really the embodiment of all the elements of Australian culture we are more than justified in cringing over. More than this, he was also more than slightly unhinged. Dangling baby bob in front of a crocodile wasn't a good move. Another questionable parenting decision was giving his daughter "Bindy-Sue" (shudder) her own wiggles style stage show at his zoo complete with NSync style back up dancers. I always felt like those kids were growing up in a less than balanced environment. A heady cocktail of awful australiana, wrecklessnes and crass consumerism.

All that aside I find it difficult to hate him now. He was certainly a unique star, and I thought he would have been around to piss me off well into my middle age. Having had a heaping helping of genuine aussie country folk of late (I'm marrying in) his persona seems less exagerated, less of a performance. I honestly think that was who he really was. Whatever you think of him, he was certainly one of a kind.

For me, I'm always happy when Andrew can make me double up with laughter! If it takes death by stingray, well, so be it. It's the little pleasures in life that make it all worthwhile.

I understand there's a double feature documentary opening soon -- Grizzly Man and Crock-o-Man.

Geez, this morning they replayed Matt Lauer's interview with Steve Irwin after the close encounter with his son and the crocodile he was teasing with the wee infant. The interview truly rivaled my previous top two faves -- Tom Cruise "You're being glib, Matt" and Madonna's Kabbalah interview.

Celebrities. Can't live with 'em. Can't live with 'em.

I'm sure it's a great tragedy for those who knew and loved the man.  Hopefully they won't be reading any of our sassy commentary. 

Susan

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

Like many Aussies, the first I heard of Steve Irwin was from an American friend.  He was incredulous that I didn't actually know who he was.  In his day, apparently Irwin was a big hit in the US.  In Australia his show "Crocodile Hunter" barely rated, perhaps because it wasn't _as_ impressive to Australians as it was to Americans, and also because we have had others similar to him.

He did make many Aussies cringe, because he was a typical bush Aussie, but primed with an American-like enthusiasm and energy level.  Most Aussies would be far more laid back about what he did, but Irwin gave the impression he was extremely high on life.  Many of the things he did are common for Aussies who have lived in the bush - catching venomous scorpions, spiders, snakes etc isn't really a big deal...Irwin just took it a step further with his pursuit of sharks, crocs and other exotic beasties.

Part of what annoyed some people about him was that he appeared insincere - like his show was 1 big condescending act aimed at kids.  But the accounts from friends and family have been consistent - he was how he was in front of the camera and in regular life.  He was just a unique personality who was passionate about what he did, and I think some people envy that, along with his resultant success.

What he did for conservation and awareness of the environment can't be measured...suffice to say tributes have been flooding in from around the world.  Media coverage in Australia will be around for a day or so, and that'll be it.  He will be fondly remembered for his nature work and his promotion of Australia.  Kids had been turned off nature shows by the constant stream of dull professors and "Flanders" types who presented them.  Then along came Irwin, someone who was prepared to do exactly what you wanted him to do - poke that croc and let's see it snap, chase that snake and see how fast he goes, jump in the ocean and watch how many sharks you attract. 

He was also someone who put his money where his mouth was - instead of spending his income on fancy toys for his own amusement like many of the rich and famous, he funnelled it back into conservation work such as a large koala rehabilitation centre, and buying large areas of land for wildlife to live in.  Rather than just whinge and moan about conservation, the guy actually did something about it.

As for comparisons with Dianna, give me a break!  Her death and funeral were the most overhyped, misplaced events in living memory.  What did she actually DO for the world besides have the right hairstyle and dress at the right time?  On the scale of achievers she rated a 1/10 - the sum total of her life was that she married someone famous in a royal family of non-achievers...whoop-de-doo!

cybacaT or Windom Evans, did either of you ever meet Mr. Irwin or visit his park?

My friend met him last year in Queensland and said he was a very enthusiastic man who was very passionate about his job.

GPW

I never met the guy.  Last time I was in Queensland we were tossing up whether to go for a drive into the Glasshouse Mountains, or visit Australia Zoo...and the mountains won.

There's a photograph of him in one of our photo albums commemorating our first trip to Australia Zoo. My mother often tells the story of how excited I was to be going to the zoo and seeing Irwin. His documentaries had been playing in NZ and alot of my first impressions of Australia were formed around those shows. I was disappointed when I got here and there were no wallabies on the doorstep or snakes in the toaster.

Anyway, my mother tried to tell me that it was unlikely Irwin would be there when we were, but sure enough he was. He even came over and talk to us at the fence while we were examining one of the enclosures. This was back when the zoo wasn't the massive international drawcard and commercialised nightmare that it is today, so I suppose he was more accessable.

He had some balls, that Steve Irwin.  I'd rather die in my 40s knowing I'd taken risks than live to be a hundred having played it safe. 

I wonder if they killed the guilty stingray afterward?

"Every day holds a new beginning and every hour holds the promise of an Invitation to Love." 

Without wishing to be overly glib, being killed by a stingray is a pretty cool way to go out. I mean, if you're a croc-wrestling, snake-provoking naturalist.

I loved him for being a total nutter. Damn shame.

x-ray
if your back's against the wall, turn around and write on it...

Wel...it did start to get a bit Dianna-ish by the end of the week.  We had TV specials, and the Sunday paper had a 12-page tribute to Irwin.  The guy is much more popular in Australia in death than he was in life!

I should add we had another famous Aussie die last week also - Peter Brock.  Think of the all-time best NASCAR driver - Brock was our equivalent.  They called him Peter Perfect because he raced for decades, but never had an accident...until last week.  Just out of my hometown of Perth he wrapped his car around a tree as part of a targa rally.  He's much more famous in Australia than Irwin, and there'll be more carry-on about his passing over here...

Jesus, I can't even read the Twin Peaks Gazette without Mr Bogan FM himself giving me detailed commentary of redneck Australiana no one outside of Yatala gives half an arse about.

I got this email about him the other day.

I want to inform Creation Ministries International, that Steve Irwin became a born again Christian two and a half weeks ago at the Kings Church AOG Buderim, Queensland Australia, going forward publicly before the congregation to ask Christ to become his Lord and Saviour.

Many of us will now spend eternity with him. I am sure Terri is comforted as a Christian in the fact that she will be with Jesus and also Steve again for eternity. Steve declared the day before he died that he was the happiest he had ever been in his whole life.

Pastor Robyn Reiser
Noosa Christian Outreach Centre
PO Box 1221
Noosaville Qld 4566
Australia.

x-ray
if your back's against the wall, turn around and write on it...