It is with great sorrow that we learned about the sudden death of Steve Irwin, Crocodile Hunter. He certainly educated many people in a very entertaining way. He will truly be missed by millions. This page will evolve in time, but I just wanted to acknowledge Steve Irwin and share some photographs and poems that are very special.

   

"I have the best daddy in the whole world and I will miss him every day,"
said Irwin's eight-year-old daughter Bindi.
"When I see a crocodile, I will always think of him."

More Than A Crocodile Hunter

Some called him an entertainer,
We knew him as the man from down under,
He visited countries all over the world,
Studied creatures while he laughed like thunder.

He made us laugh and caused us to gasp,
Every adventure was filled with surprise,
He was at home in the swamps or the outback,
He smiled at our squeamish cries.

He didn't seem to have a fear,
Crocs never caused him to run,
What we considered to be dangerous,
Was to him nothing more than fun.

Now, I will admit to you,
I never have liked any kind of snake,
And teasing a croc while holding his son,
Was about more than I could take.

He's left two children and a wife behind,
To miss him and carry the torch he passed along,
Losing him so early in his lifetime,
Just seems so terribly wrong.

He brought many things to our attention,
The environment and the things we destroy,
He left behind a legacy of dreams,
To be carried out by his girl and boy.

"Crocodile Hunter" you will be missed,
As you live on in the heart of this fan,
You were a teacher, an adventurer and a conqueror,
But most important of all, you were a good man.

In Memory Of Steve Irwin
September 4th, 2006

http://diannapetry.tripod.com
http://members.tripod.com/~poemsbydianna/PoetryofLife.html
Used with permission.

The Crocodile Hunter

I think the year was 1996, maybe 97,
I received a call from my good friend Kevin,
"Man you've got to watch this guy named Steve Irwin,
In the swamps with gators and crocs he should be called Merlin."

As in the magician I asked? Well the reply was not quite,
This dude is for real with his hands there is no slight,
With nothing else on, I turned to give him a view,
Whoa, now the number of fans will be at least two.

A star was born in the swamp on that summer day,
Risking his life while calling it play,
Where was this Irwin guy from? Australia, no wonder,
I've always heard they do things different Down Under.

Not that it's a bad thing, remember the brothers Gibb?
Like their music, it was a different style that he lived,
With that accent and huge genuine smile on his face,
Definitely couldn't have been from any other place.

Looking back at the hours and years of entertaining,
It's sad to realize we'll only see him on film remaining,
As he became ever more professional in his chosen craft,
Always managing to give a scare only to end with a laugh.

Steve thought mankind more ferocious than a lion's lair,
Even said getting married seemed to give him a scare,
After seeing his supportive wife with on the show,
You knew about that remark he was joking, you know.

Snakes, hippos, whatever there was never an end,
Little did these creatures know what a wonderful friend,
How can Steve Irwin be described, where would one begin?
Another untimely death let this be the beginning, not the end.

We live in a me first world that's mostly about high society,
Here was a mere mortal, who cared little about notoriety,
Steve's smile was lovingly mirrored on his little girls' face,
How proud she was of him, no one will ever take his place.

For sure many such shows have begun to paddled up stream,
My what a joy, family entertainment, fun, educational and clean,
Yes, Steve Irwin the Crocodile Hunter is no longer the only one,
Just try telling that to his lovely wife, daughter and son.

Imagine Irwin telling St. Peter he's early only to be told he's late,
I can see the Croc Hunter scratching his head standing by the Pearly Gates,
You see Steve, God Almighty is about to start His Heavenly Zoo,
When I asked Him who was going to be in charge, He smiled and said you.

© 2006 by Luke Easter
www.LyricsByLucas.com

External Links
Crocodile Hunter	Steve Irwin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Obituary: Steve Irwin

With his trademark khaki shorts, chirpy manner and an obvious love of wildlife, Steve Irwin was known to television viewers around the world simply as "the crocodile hunter". But Steve Irwin's popular image, wrestling crocs and other creatures, belied the fact that he was implacably opposed to the hunting, not just of crocodiles, but of any animal.

A natural showman as well as a conservationist and zoo owner, Irwin was committed to educating people about wildlife.

He often did this by putting himself at great risk, confronting crocodiles, venomous snakes and other dangerous beasts in their own environment. This fascinating television was often punctuated by his trademark yell of "Crikey!"

But his unconventional approach drew criticism from those who believed his idiosyncratic style to be irresponsible and cavalier.

Family tradition

Steve Irwin was born in Essendon in Victoria, Australia, in February 1962. In 1970, his parents founded the Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park, later to become Australia Zoo, on the country's Sunshine Coast.

The park specialised in rehabilitating ill or injured baby kangaroos, wallabies, wombats and koalas, and Steve Irwin grew up surrounded by wildlife.

When his father, Bob, decided to do something about the hunting which threatened to destroy Australia's crocodile population, Steve played his part, working for Australia's Crocodile Relocation Programme which captured and moved the reptiles to safer areas, often to the Australia Zoo.

When television director John Stainton first encountered Steve Irwin, while shooting an advertisement at Australia Zoo, he immediately realised that he had a new star on his hands.

The first episode of Stainton's show, The Crocodile Hunter, was built around a crocodile trapping trip that Irwin and his Oregon-born wife Terri Baines undertook for their honeymoon.

Discovery Channel bought the programme in 1996 and it rapidly became a phenomenon, being screened in 130 countries and bringing both Stainton and Irwin great wealth.

Serious commitment

In January 2004, Irwin faced a barrage of criticism after being filmed holding his infant son in one arm while feeding a chicken carcass to a 4-metre saltwater crocodile with the other. At the time, he said: "I was in complete control of the crocodile."

Despite his often light-hearted manner, Steve Irwin's commitment to protecting crocodiles was serious. "Every chance I get, I will put my life on the line to save crocs," he told one interviewer.

Irwin's other programme The Croc Files, The Crocodile Hunter Diaries and New Breed Vets, were also great hits, especially in the United States, and he was feted by television interviewers like Jay Leno, Larry King and Oprah Winfrey.

He even played a cameo role in the 2001 Eddie Murphy film, Dr Doolittle 2, before hitting the big screen the following year with his own movie, The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course.

And a measure of Steve Irwin's fame came when Australia's Prime Minister, John Howard, who described him as "one of Australia's great conservation icons," personally invited the environmentalist to a barbecue for President George W. Bush in Canberra in 2003.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/5311982.stm
Published: 2006/09/04 10:26:03 GMT
© BBC MMVI

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