RIP Steve Irwin you bloody legend.

Taken from the ABC News Website Steve Irwin dead The naturalist and television star Steve Irwin has died in a diving accident in far north Queensland. He was 44. Police say he was stung through the heart by a stingray while diving off Port Douglas. He was filming a documentary when the accident occurred around midday AEST near the Low Isles. A police helicopter arrived to try to resuscitate him, but it was too late. Irwin, who was was born in Victoria in 1962, inherited his love of reptiles from his father. His father Bob was a keen reptile enthusiast and moved the family to Queensland in 1970 to open a small reptile park on the Sunshine Coast. Irwin took over the family business in 1991 and grew it into Australia Zoo. In 1992 he ventured into television, making the first series of the Crocodile Hunter. When the program aired in the United States, he shot to international fame. Irwin is survived by his wife Terri and two children. Nature lover In 2003, he spoke to the ABC's Australian Story about how he was perceived in his country. "When I see what's happened all over the world, they're looking at me as this very popular, wildlife warrior Australian bloke," he said. "And yet back here in my own country, some people find me a little bit embarrassing. "You know, there's this... they kind of cringe, you know, 'cause I'm coming out with 'Crikey' and 'Look at this beauty'. "Just say what you're gonna say, mate. You know, is it a cultural cringe? Is it, they actually see a little bit of themselves when they see me, and they find that a little embarrassing? "I'm fair dinkum, like kangaroos and Land Cruisers, winged keels and bloody flies! I think we've lost all that. I think we've all become very, sort of, money people." He also spoke of his love for surfing. "You get out there, it's just you against the waves. "There's no paparazzi, there's no fan base, and it gives me a chance to recuperate and regenerate. "I think I've actually got animals so genetically inside me that there's no way I could actually be anything else. "I think my path would have always gone back to or delivered me to wildlife. I think wildlife is just like a magnet, and it's something that I can't help."

Just Heard the News myself ... http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20349888-2,00.html

Quite a shock really. A larger than life character who was possibly more Okka than the Black Stump. He died doing what he loved, mixing it up with life.

Dixi

Jeff Watkins
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... let's pause a moment to remember Australian author Colin Thiele, who also left this orb today aged 85. Sad day, innit? "It ain't braggin' if you can back it up."- Jaco Pastorius

Curious how we think of Steve Irwin as a figure in the entertainment business. He was hardly anything else, was he?

I think Steve Irwin was a great man. Sure he made mistakes but his mistakes were just magnified by the media. I think its amazing how the media can change someones image so easily. When Steve made the mistake with his baby, Bob the media was crule and mean (with and without reason), now i think we will find Steve pushed to an iconic and hero's image... which he deserves. Alot of crule jokes have been going around... it's disrespectful. Steve Irwin is now an aussie icon, he did fantastic work for those who can't speak for themselves. RIP

Yall need stop talking about him he is dead he died doing wat he love so leave it at that.

Ok this might be a bit lengthy, but I just wanted to post my thoughts on this I'm wondering what some of the other site-attendees made of Germaine Greer's response to Steven Irwin's death: i.e. her initial comments that 'the animal kingdom has finally taken its revenge on Steve Irwin', followed by her numerous further statements during the week that Irwin was an embarrassment to Australians, that he was a cruel exploiter of animals for profit, and that it was embarrassing having english media refer to Irwin's death as Australia's 'Princess Di moment'. The obvious criticism of Greer is the one taken by most of the media - that her comments have been hurtful and unsensitive to Mr Irwin's family. However, this is really only a criticism of the TIMING of her comments and not the substance. Mr Irwin was a public figure by choice and profession, and if it is fair for him to receive praise and applause in death by reason of his public profile, then it is surely also fair for him to receive criticism under those same circumstances. On the other hand that criticism would have lost none of its cultural relevance if it was made a few months later, but would likely be judged less insensitive. However, that by itself would simply place the comments as 'insensitive but accurate', which of course is exactly what Greer was aiming for. As to the CONTENT of her comments (lets just imagine that Greer made her comments 50 years after Irwin's death and put aside the question of whether her comments came too soon, or whether they were insensitive etc), I think they in themselves are worth a look at. The least interesting of her comments is also the most justified - that Irwin exploited animals and isn't the environmental activist that media are portraying him to be. This is nothing more than a continuation of the criticism that many made of Irwin throughout his career, and whilst the criticism is well-founded I don't think Greer's comments actually added anything worthwhile to it. Especially at a time when several of Irwin's greatest opponents (conservationists and biological scientists with much greater credibility than Ms Greer when it comes to commenting on such issues) chose to lay aside their criticism for the time being and instead recognise that whilst they strongly disagreed with Irwin's means there was no doubting that his intentions were good and that he genuinely loved nature. I think that Greer was so focussed on taking the cheapshot at Irwin, that she overlooked a far more salient point: the fact that the media organisations trying to reinvent history by falsely portraying Irwin as some kind of animal rights activist are the SAME media organisations that profit from Irwin's television show and that have a financial interest in protecting the value of re-runs of that show. Greer could well have had something interesting to say if she wanted to use the media coverage of Irwin's death as an example of capitalist interests distorting public perceptions of reality. Unfortunately Greer chose to attack the dead target rather than the live ones. The thing which I found interesting, and most disagreeable, about Greer's comments was the notion that we should all be embarrassed by Irwin. This strikes me as a watermark by which we can measure how far Australia has grown since Greer's generation. There's a good reason why most Australians heroised rather than were embarassed by Steve Irwin - because no-one in their right mind would think Irwin to be in any way typical of modern Australian life. Greer on the other hand seems to be fighting yesterday's battle against the long-dead australian self-image as being all about illiterate outback existancce. She overlooks the fact that the reason why we can watch Irwin without embarassment is that Australians NOW (unlike those of her generation) are comfortable in their levels of artistic and intellectual endeavour, and that the Irwin's of the television world are consequently no threat to our self-image. Instead we can laud them as a image of a fictional previous Australia, that we know never really existed (and are glad for it) but is enjoyable and entertaining nonetheless. Actor, martial artist and soon-to-be Philosophy post-grad student. Making myself less employable one step at a time:-)

I have always found Irwin embarrassing. I was living in the UK when he began his career as an entertainer and found the average Englishmans belief that Irwin in manner and style was typical Aussie quite irritating. I do however agree that Greer's comment are quite embarrassing as well and totally insensitive (typical of her). Let the man rest in peace he did a lot to raise awareness of crocodiles as a fascinating species even if he did it in a rather exploitative way. Life's too short to stuff a mushroom www.tonymoore.id.au

Already now the papers are comparing Irwin's death with Diana's. It seems a bit ridiculous. I remember watching a TV show at a youth hostel in Ireland a few years back, and all the Aussies there cringed got up and walked away. Now he's being lionised in the most bizarre way imaginable. Would Tim Flannery and Harry Butler get the same treatment I wonder? I am beginning to think that it wasn't his death that was shocking, but the bizarre way he died that was shocking http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/irwin-and-the-diana-effect/2006/09/07/1157222241324.html

It annoys me that Colin Theile also died, but there's hardly a mention in the media. Surely the writer of Storm Boy deserves more attention. The Prompt Copy Networking emerging theatre professionals www.thepromptcopy.com Sticky Apple Legs http://stickyapplelegs.artsblogs.com Puppets in Melbourne www.freewebs.com/puppetsinmelbourne

Absolutely. It was like Mother Teresa and Diana. Because that spoiled little sloane ranger died the world almost missed the death of Mother Teresa. Life's too short to stuff a mushroom www.tonymoore.id.au

...as you can tell from my first post (I'm not the media, but I did mention Thiele's passing...) I, like Logos and a few others, also would cringe at the sight and (especially) the sound of Steve Irwin whenever he came on the telly; even the recent replay of Denton's "Enough Rope" interview had me gritting my teeth... but there's no denying that now there is a void where once there was a bucket of unuabashed enthusiasm for the ecology. Who will pick up the slack? Still, I like the comment of one of my colleagues; "It's no sadder than any other decent bloke father of two being killed."; which is true... "It ain't braggin' if you can back it up."- Jaco Pastorius

... The idea of the 'Aussie bloke', 'Aussie sheila' and 'Aussie battler' will never die. Steve was just the Paul of the 90s. The Prompt Copy Networking emerging theatre professionals www.thepromptcopy.com Sticky Apple Legs http://stickyapplelegs.artsblogs.com Puppets in Melbourne www.freewebs.com/puppetsinmelbourne

Really, he could have done better. Attractive billionaire heir of Harrods? And he died whilst going out with DIANNA? (sigh) At least it spawned several long and fun nights playing 'Dianna's funeral the drinking game'- oh come on...I know of at least a few other theatre australia website regulars who partook in that...:-) More seriously, I agree completely with Logos on the mother teresa thing - someone dedicates their life to helping others and has their death completely overshadowed by the hoohaa about a person who was born privileged and then married into unearnt luxury (and please no-one start bleating about how princess Di opposed landmines and poverty - as opposed to all those celebrities who SUPPORT landmines and poverty - she gave insignificant proportions of her overwhelming financial fortune and never once got her hands dirty doing any actual work towards a cause. Even Angelina Jolie rates higher on the 'justified-celebrity' scale than princess di ever did). Actor, martial artist and soon-to-be Philosophy post-grad student. Making myself less employable one step at a time:-)

And now we have lost Peter Brock, a genuine australian icon and all round nice guy. Requiescat In Pace. Life's too short to stuff a mushroom www.tonymoore.id.au

I think its sad for Australia that we have lost two Austalian legends in less than one week. In regards to Steve Irwin althought some people opposed his methods overall he had a huge amount of support because he raised awareness of the importance of conservation in this country, something that has been neglected by many others. As for his image , guess what there ARE Australians who talk like that, dress like that and act like that. No its not the mainstream , but some people still possess that Australian ocker persona and we shouldn't be ashamed of that. As for the way we are portrayed overseas, Steve Irwin was a walking talking advertising campaigne for Australia, and many people wpuld have been drawn here because of him and realised we are not all like that . Not that they wouldn't know anyway. I mean everyone knows that Nicole Kidman, Heath Legder and Kylie Minouge are High Profile Aussies and none of the walk around saying G'day mate and Crikey ! As for Germain Greer who is she is comment on Australia. Did she not once say that she would never live here again and we are backwards. She obviously does not realise that we aren't living in the 1970's anymore and she can hardly call herself an Australian. I think overall my sadness is for his wife and his two beautiful children who have lost a husband and father who they loved dearly and I think we haven't seen the end of Steve's passion and love of animals and conservation and his children will continue his legend. Thank God for that.

Waltzing Matilda That beautiful song was Australia to me before "Crocodile Hunter" aired on TV He was crazy, brash, exuberant and fun I never saw another do what he'd done A pioneer in his field, a man with fight he brought a gorgeous Australia to sight So full of dedication, enthusiasm and grit for the sanctity of wildlife--his passion was lit For the land and the animals his purpose was filled yet I think too soon his bright, helping spirit was stilled He cried for that which moved him and all that he loved for the critters, his family on earth and his mother above When I think of his passing I can scarce breathe while I pray for his loved ones, as the world grieves As tears fill my eyes so that I can not see would someone play "Waltzing Matilda" for me ...Thank you Steve Irwin, and family... ~~*~~ Copyright 2006 Kathy Pippig Harris

Being a descendent of Colin, I am also disgusted at the lack of coverage on Uncle Colin. I have only found one printed article in the NTNEWS and have yet to see anything on the Television News Coverage. I was disappointed to yesterday goto a bookstore to get a copy of his biography to find the bookstore staff had NO knowlege of Colins Passing. Wake up australia, Colin was a great childrens author and also poet. Not happy......