Press Releases
Croc Hunter honoured
And a hug for a much missed dad.
IT was the moment to make any heart ache.
Just after the unveiling of a life-size statue of Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin and his family yesterday, when the cameras stopped flashing, three-year-old Robert Irwin clambered onto the plinth and spread his little arms around the waist of his father's craggy likeness.
With his head pressed into the unyielding folds of the familiar khaki shirt now cast in bronze, the littlest Irwin hugged and squeezed.
It was not noticed by many in the huge crowd which gathered to watch the statue's unveiling at Australia Zoo on the Sunshine Coast to commemorate the first Steve Irwin Day.
But his mother Terri Irwin, fighting laryngitis, looked as if she was holding back a tear as she quietly called him down to join daughter Bindi, 9, and Irwin's best mate and zoo director Wes Mannion and Irwin's father Robert for the walk to the Crocoseum and the day's celebrations.
As she wrote in the book My Steve which she launched for Australian readers at the zoo yesterday: "Robert is like a pitiful puppy and still waits patiently for his daddy to come home from heaven.
"I hadn't been prepared for how devastated Robert would be. Some nights he sits in the bathtub and cries. 'I want my daddy', he says, over and over. It absolutely tears my heart out."
But yesterday's special day – almost 15 months since Irwin was fatally wounded by a stingray barb to his heart while filming off Cairns – was carefully stage-managed as one of celebrations of the wildlife warrior's life and his conservation work.
More than 6000 fans packed the Crocoseum to see Bindi and the Crocmen perform the world premiere of two catchy new songs - this time with rap overtones - saluting her late father as well as the threats facing animals around the world.
Olivia Newton-John, whom Terri introduced as a "good friend" - also sang, along with rocker Jimmy Barnes.
The day was just how Irwin would have liked it – pure theatre from his family's walk down the green carpet surrounded by a guard of honour of Australian wildlife to the a capella strains of a khaki choir, to swooping wild birds, slithering snakes, leaping crocodiles and the launch of a new croc-wise message.
There was even a sign that Bindi could have some competition for the spotlight in the future with little Robert and his best mate Riley (Mannion's son) premiering in a cute mini-documentary which showed them running the zoo.
Crikey! 6000 people remember a legend
IT started with the unveiling of a bronze statue of the Irwin family, including Steve's dog, Sui, and a saltwater crocodile the family caught while on their last holiday in North Queensland before his death.
It was just what the iconic Croc Hunter would have wanted on a day that was dedicated to celebrating his life and his great passion for his family and for wildlife.
More than 6000 people flooded into Australia Zoo, many dressed in khaki in memory of Steve's uniform, for the first ever Steve Irwin Day.
The sun was out and visitors from all over the world, including Canada, the USA, UK and Japan, packed into the crocoseum where Terri and Bindi Irwin welcomed the crowds and spoke of their passion for wildlife and their desire to continue Steve's legacy by teaching people about conservation.
School children clapped and sang along to great Aussie anthems like "A Home Among the Gum Trees" and "True Blue" as babies dressed in khaki clutched plush crocodiles in their mothers' laps, and young people draped themselves in the Australian flag with faces painted green and gold or red white and blue.
The mood was bright when Terri, Bindi and zoo director Wes Mannion came on stage and a roar went up from the crowd. Bindi then launched two new songs, including one dedicated to her dad, in which she talked about catching snakes, jumping on crocs and chasing lizards with her dad.
Olivia Newton-John made a guest appearance as part of the celebrations, singing "We are Magic" and "I Honestly Love You" as well as a special Christmas song, "A mother's Christmas wish", which she dedicated to Terri.
She said it was important to continue Steve's legacy by showing love and compassion towards all animals, "not just the soft and cuddly ones, but the crocs as well".
It was then time for the Croc show, which Terri hosted with Wes, and it was during this daily event that she seemed most relaxed and at ease, as though thinking that if she couldn't be with Steve the closest thing she could come to him was to be with crocs.
Throughout the Croc show, Terri joked around with Wes – at one stage saying that Murray the croc weighed 400kg - "almost twice as much as Wes". Later Terri said that the response to Steve Irwin Day had been bigger than she had expected.
"Losing Steve was such a tragedy for all of us, but it has given us the opportunity to take stock and re-evaluate what's important in our lives," she said.
"Some days I'm still waiting for him to come through the door, and sometimes it feels like it's only just happened, while other times it seems like it was a lifetime ago (that he died)."
She said next year's event would be bigger and better and the zoo would continue to expand the event and make it an annual tradition.
Watch Bindi's new video on thedaily.com.au
Jimmy makes Lynette's day
By Christine Stubbs
ANOTHER of Lynette Howlett's dreams came true just two days before her wedding.
The 27-year-old cystic fibrosis sufferer met her favourite entertainer, Jimmy Barnes, yesterday at Australia Zoo.
Jimmy is unable to attend her wedding tomorrow but thanks to the Cystic Fibrosis Queensland organisation, who saw the article in Caboolture News, she got to meet her "Working Class Man".
The Cold Chisel front man was a guest performer at Australia Zoo for Steve Irwin Day.
Lynette's mum Robyn Newton said Lynette had an amazing day at the Zoo, spending time with the rock star.
"She got to watch the show from the side of the stage and Jimmy put on a request for her," Robyn said.
"He said "Here is a special present for a couple getting married" and he sang Lover Lover."
Lynette was also given a tour by the friendly staff.
"She just had a good day at the Zoo," Robyn said.
The Narangba resident was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis when she was just four days old and had been on the waiting list for a double lung transplant.
But in the past four years her health had deteriorated.
Lynette was recently taken off the waiting list because she caught a bug and was told by her doctor that she would not survive the operation. On oxygen 24 hours a day, it's a waiting game for Lynette.
Robyn contacted the Caboolture News hoping to make Lynette's fast-tracked wedding a day to remember and with the help of generous readers Lynette will have just that.
Offers from florists, hairdressers, make-up artists, transport services and the general public flowed in to make her wedding a special day.
Robyn is extremely grateful for the community's response.
"It's unbelievable. I would just like to thank them all very much," Robyn said.
"It's nice to see they have a heart."
Wave of memories
Surfers head out for the Steve Irwin Classic
HOW good was that!
You could just about hear the voice of Steve Irwin echoing off the beach at Moffats, where he would trade his khaki shorts and shirt for boardies and some ripping right-handers off the point break every chance he got.
The sight of so many fellow surf fanatics getting out and having a go for the Crikey Cup would have had Steve punching his fists in excitement.
And he might also have had a wry chuckle to see his good mate at Australia Zoo, Wes Mannion, was still sliding down the face of a wave as gracefully as he jumps on a croc's back.
To top things off, even the sea life seemed to feel the spirit of Steve at hand.
After the paddle-out of 100 surfers to honour the late Croc Hunter, who continues to inspire millions of people around the world, a green turtle joined in.
As the surfers solemnly formed a circle, it broke the surface in the middle - one of a number of the local turtles that seemed drawn to Moffat Beach yesterday.
Wes was elated by the big roll-up to the surfing leg of the Cup, which also involved a team golf day on Friday.
"It's a chance for people to get out there and celebrate his life," Wes said.
"A lot of his surfing mates are here today. Most of the people here would have surfed in or around him over the years.
"Steve was absolutely passionate about his surfing. When he got out of the water at Moffats or Curra (Currimundi) after a big surf he was just on cloud nine."
Al Hing of Beach Beat may have helped come up with the fun cup concept, but it was his 13-year-old daughter, Tianni, who best summed up what they were out there for.
"I think it's a good way to appreciate what he did for anybody. It was getting out, getting close to nature - it made us feel good about him," she said.
Wes's favourite surfing memory of Steve was one that the Croc Hunter's good mate almost did not survive.
"When I first started surfing with him, Steve said 'Wes, let's go to Samoa' and the waves were like 10 foot plus and I nearly drowned," Wes said.
"He'd be there saying 'here, Wes, get on this one' and I'd be saying 'no!'.
"Nothing scared him."
There was talk yesterday of the time Steve was surfing during a shark sighting, which Al found amusing.
Instead of bolting for the shore like other surfers, the Croc Hunter is supposed to have ducked his head under the water trying to get a better look.
"That'd be him all right," Al said.
Academic honour for Croc man
CROCODILE Hunter Steve Irwin will be posthumously awarded with an adjunct professorship at the University of Queensland.
The university last year revealed it was about to make Irwin, pictured, an adjunct professor in its school of Integrative Biology in honour of his scientific research, but he died before he could accept the award.
Irwin's wife Terri will accept the award on November 14, when the university holds a free public lecture about crocodile research.
UQ crocodile expert and Irwin's close friend, Professor Craig Franklin, said the presentation would be moving given the Crocodile Hunter had been killed before the honour could be presented.
"Notification of the honour was waiting for Steve at Australia Zoo, but sadly he never returned to find out the good news," Prof Franklin said. "This presentation now gives us the opportunity to publicly recognise his remarkable contribution to research and conservation."
Irwin's widow Terri will accept the award on the eve of the first Steve Irwin Day.
"I am very proud because this honours Steve as a scientist in his own right and recognises Steve's ongoing research work," she said in a statement.
Coast stops to pay tribute to a legend
Why the coast will be a sea of khaki today
FOUR days of celebration of the life of Sunshine Coast wildlife warrior Steve Irwin kick off today, and have attracted support from across the nation.
Thousands of Croc Hunter fans are expected to flock to Australia Zoo today to join in celebrating Steve's life, which was tragically cut short on September 4 last year when a stingray barb pierced his heart as he was filming a documentary on Batt Reef, off the north Queensland coast.
Celebrations will include performances from Olivia Newton-john and Jimmy Barnes, and Bindi Irwin will launch three new songs with the Crocmen. continued below
Coast stops to pay tribute to a legend
TERRI Irwin will unveil a statue of her late husband today as part of the celebrations for the first Steve Irwin Day.
Thousands of Croc Hunter fans are expected to clock to Australia Zoo today to join in celebrating Steve's life, which was tragically cut short on September 4 last year when a stingray barb pierced his heart as he was filming a documentary on Batt Reef, off the north Queensland coast.
Celebrations will include performances from Olivia Newton-john and Jimmy Barnes, and Bindi Irwin will launch three new songs with her back-up singers, the Crocmen, while Terri will launch her new book, My Steve.
Terri told the Daily yesterday that she was looking forward to celebrating Steve's great passions in life: wildlife and family.
"I'll be unveiling a new statue of Steve, and Olivia Newton-John and Jimmy Barnes will be rocking the Crocoseum," She said. "We're encouraging people to come along in their khakis, take the day off work and make a difference to the Wildlife Warriors.
"We want to celebrate Steve's life and his passions and let people know that we'll keep his legacy going."
The celebrations will then continue into the weekend, with the inaugural Steve Irwin Classic, combing a surf competition and a golf day.
The Australia Zoo team will get a helping hand from former pro-surfer Matt Hoy for the surf event, while Zoo director Wes Mannion will be teeing off for the golf day.
A spokeswoman from Australia Zoo said participants would be battling it out for a chance at the Crikey Cup, which is being kept under wraps until Saturday night.
She said the event was the first major fundraiser for the Wildlife Warriors since the Croc Hunter's death last September and was an opportunity for Australia Zoo to thank the local community for their ongoing support.
The Steve Irwin Classic finishes with a gala dinner at the Novotel Twin Waters on Saturday night, with performances from former Australian Idol contender Ricki-Lee and up-and-coming band Inakin.
Check out our video tribute to Steve Irwin at thedaily.com.au
Poet Ryan off to see his dream girl
SEVEN-YEAR-OLD Ryan Gilder hopes to meet his dream girl today.
The Golden Beach boy wrote a beautiful poem to the Daily in the hope that he would lay eyes on Bindi Irwin.
The poem won Ryan a family pass to Steve Irwin Day at Australia Zoo.
Sadly, Ryan's father passed away in May. Ryan feels he and Bindi have lot in common and wants to celebrate their dads' lives together.
In his poem he wrote: "My name is Ryan and I'm seven years old. There's a great celebration of Steve's life, so I've been told.
"See, seven months ago my dad went to Heaven like Steve, but boy what a mark on the world they did leave.
"Like Bindi I miss my dad every day. I would love to go to Steve's Day at Steve Irwin Way."
Ryan's mother, Jay Gilder, said that when he found out he had won a family pass Ryan was so excited he replayed the answering machine message from Entertainer editor Lisa Kither over and over.
"He couldn't believe he had won," she said. "He really likes Steve Irwin and he's keen to try to meet Bindi tomorrow.
"He talks about Bindi sometimes, and says ‘she doesn't have a dad like me', so he relates to that.
"We're also taking his little friend and his friend's mum. We're keen to see Olivia Newton and Jimmy Barnes and want to take the kids to see the animals."
The competition ran in last Friday's Entertainer magazine.
Steve Irwin Day kicks off with the unveiling of a tribute to Steve by Terri Irwin, then the Crocoseum will be rocking with three new songs performed by Bindi.
The zoo's activities include a Khaki Catwalk Parade judged by Bindi.
Everyone who wears khaki will receive 10% off the admission price and a free wristband.
Terri spreads the word on Steve
A BOOK on Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin written by his wife Terri has been met with a Harry Potter-style buying frenzy in the United States.
The uplifting, humorous and at times heart-breaking account of their relationship, titled My Steve, has been flying off bookshelves since its American launch two weeks ago.
The same response is expected here after the book's official Australian launch today by Terri at the inaugural Steve Irwin Day at the family's Australia Zoo at Beerwah on the Sunshine Coast.
Terri said yesterday that she had been "head down and bum up" at US signings right up until she flew back to Australia on Monday.
"The book stores said they hadn't seen crowds like it since the Harry Potter books," she said. "There were 600 people waiting outside the door when we started at 7am and they were still there at 2pm.
"While it's exciting, it's also good to get the conservation message across. I appreciate that it (the interest) is all about Steve and what he stood for."
After spending the first anniversary of Irwin's death in private on September 4, the family have now concentrated their efforts into a worldwide celebration of his life today with concerts, backyard campouts, khaki promotions and more to raise funds for Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors Worldwide.
In what the zoo is calling "the celebration of the century", Steve Irwin Day today will feature live performances by Olivia Newton-John and Jimmy Barnes.
A beach has been trucked into the zoo for the event, which will include a khaki fashion parade, a Wollemi pine giveaway, an auction of signed Irwin memorabilia and a massive fireworks display at Mooloolaba in the evening.
Terri also attended the University of Queensland last night to accept a posthumous professorship in Irwin's name.
Three great reasons to remember Steve
TAYLA likes her animals cute and cuddly.
Her brothers Matthew and Riley prefer snakes, crocodiles and spiders.
But one thing all can agree on is their hero, Steve Irwin.
"He is great," Tayla said.
"I really like Bindi too. Her show is my favourite."
The Buderim almost eight-year-olds love Steve Irwin so much, their parents bought an annual pass to Australia Zoo when they were five and have renewed it every year since.
It was during one of their frequent trips to the zoo that they learnt about Steve Irwin Day, to be held next Thursday, and the link between Steve and the triplets became even stronger.
"It is the same day as our birthday," Tayla said. "We are going to have an Australian animal them party. My favourite is the koala.
"But I like polar bears the best because they are so cute and cuddly.
"But they are not Australian so I like koalas."
Their mum, Christine, thought she could take the theme one step closer and has registered her children's party as a fundraiser for the Irwin charity Wildlife Warriors.
From close family and friends they have already raised $100 and hope that the official celebration next week will raise even more.
"It is a completely voluntary thing," Christine said.
"We just thought it would be a fitting thing to do. The kids just loved Steve and they adore Bindi and they really love animals. When we saw their birthday was also Steve Irwin Day, we just thought we could do something to help."
The Cleggs have also jumped at the chance to plant a tree for Steve Irwin.
They visited Fairhill Native Plants and Botanic Gardens nursery in Yandina yesterday to peruse the natives ahead of this weekend.
"It is just a lovely idea," Christine said. "The kids love planting things, they have a vegetable garden. But when I saw the promotion in the Daily, I thought that is something we can definitely do. Seeing as Steve was into conservation, it's something I think would please him. To have people planting trees rather than cutting them down."
Celebrate Steve`s life with extraordinary day at zoo
I STILL find it hard to believe that I won't see Steve Irwin at his famous Australia Zoo.
In the past I'd often be at the zoo for a story and he'd go past on a motorbike with his young son holding on tight. Or standing by his little girl as she proudly announced to the world that when she grew up she wanted to be just like her daddy.
Or there was the impressive crocodile show where the most amazing thing I ever saw - which Steve said amazed him too - was when a crocodile refused to head out the back of the Crocoseum and Steve literally had to pull it by the tail.
And there was always the touching moments between Steve and Terri that always made me believe in true love, and the sweet moments caught on film as this young family grew up in the public eye, sharing their knowledge and love for our earth and inspiring others to join them in making a difference.
It's most hard to believe that it has already been 14 months since the world lost a man whose sole purpose in life was to make this world a better place for all of us, and safeguard our most vulnerable creatures.
The strength he instilled in his family is also something special, as they have managed to brave their fears and continue their life’s journey without this guiding light and continue to build on the legacy that is Steve Irwin.
As a mad fan of the zoo and its residents, I am thrilled we are celebrating the life of our most famous Wildlife Warrior with Steve Irwin Day.
There will be loads happening on the day with big names like Olivia Newton-John and Jimmy Barnes joining in and Miss Bindi taking the opportunity to continue to make her dad proud as she gives the world premiere of three new songs.
I'll be out there on the day to bring you images of the action but if you can’t make it, sign up for one of the other fun activities like Khaki Day or the Backyard Campout.
...so get dressed in your best khaki, practise your best "crikey!" and celebrate life Irwin style!
