Steve Irwin the Croc Man

Hi there The Landy you fair dinkum ?? Regards Steve M

Just heard that as well

CRIKEY it's true, sadly.

From news.com.au:

"THE Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin, is dead.

He was killed in a freak accident in Cairns, police sources said.

It is understood he was killed by a sting-ray barb that went through his chest.

He was swimming off the Low Isles at Port Douglas filming an underwater documentary and that's when it occured.

Ambulance officers confirmed they attended a reef fatality this morning at Batt Reef off Port Douglas."

Rest in peace.

Steve Irwin dead
The Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin, has died after he was stung by a stingray off the far north Queensland coast.

The ambulance service says he was diving near Low Isles off Port Douglas when the incident happened around 11am AEST.

A helicopter carrying paramedics flew to the island, but he died from a stingray barb to the heart.

His next off kin are being flown from Brisbane to Cairns this afternoon.

R.I.P. Steve, we'll miss your passion and enthusiasm.

I reckon that would have been the last thing that he would of thought of taking his life a bloody stingray, I know alot of people coudlnt stand him but I thought he was bloody great, feel for his wife and young daughter having to go through all that now poor buggers. Just listened to the 2.30 news nothing mentioned yet. Regards Steve M

That's news to me but I believe it! Many times I hear the "news" on ExplorOz before I hear it in mainstream TV, radio etc - probably because I spend more hours on here than anywhere else I guess. It's very sad news - he will be sorely missed by his family and fans.

Just been on Radio

Very Sad he will be missed

The SMH link follows. A remarkable man..........RIP

Site Link

September 04, 2006 02:14pm
Article from: Site Link
THE Crocodile Man, Steve Irwin, is dead.
He was killed in a freak accident in Cairns, police sources said. It is understood he was killed by a sting-ray barb that went through his chest.

He was swimming off the Low Isles at Port Douglas filming an underwater documentary and that's when it occured.
Ambulance officers confirmed they attended a reef fatality this morning at Batt Reef off Port Douglas

A sad day I reckon

Very sad, a friend of mine works for him they will all be devisated.

He didn't do much for me, but what a terrible tragedy. My thoughts go out to his wife and family.

Hell, you never know when your times up.

Boo

Yes apparently the barb went through his chest and was venomated as well. Extremely sad and a freak accident. My 5 year old son will be devostated. The news is so big that many of the News sites such as Ninemsn crashed..

I thought a Snake, Spider or Croc might get him but a Ray, no way...

He knew he embarrased a lot of Aussies with his antics but he was fair dinkum in his love of nature and wildlife. His antics attracted a lot of people to look and learn about nature and usually he gained the sometimes grudging respect of the majority of those who saw him....so he must have been doing something right.

he is a big loss no matter how you personally feel about him, he did good stuff and will be missed.
I can't imagine what his young family are going through......

Must have been a bloody big ray.
Life is so short not to make every day count.
Our thoughts are with his family at this sad time.

Allan & June

Vale Steve Irwin

If only more people were as passionate about their family, their country and their countries wildlife as Steve was, then the world might be a better place.

Our thoughts are with his family.

Brian
(Gold Coast)

Oh No Steve's Down,

Lets hope the Government allow his family a National Funeral, as he was one of the most world renowned Personalties that we had.

RIP Steve,

All our thoughts go out to his family.

I wonder if Bob will now take over where his father left off.

Kev

Love him or hate him he did enormous amounts for tourist in oz and qld. A true australian larrikin.
RIP Steve. You will be missed

Peter

A fantastic Australian. He will be sorely missed, he is the sort of bloke that most people take for granted. A very sad day.

He mite have been over the top with enthusiasm, but he sure knew his stuff . Yes , he will be missed ! On another through , pull yer head in trucke , you mite not have liked him , but as you can see by this forum , a lot did . So if you haven't got anything constructive to say , then don't say anything !

What a shock.
Steve certainly appeared to love life and we as a family loved to watch his antics as he shared part of his life so publicly.
Feeling for his family.....

The BigKidz Family.

here in queensland the premier said some americans he met didn't know
australia's prime minister
but everybody knew steve irwin
skippie

whatever your opinion of Steve he has done wonderful things for australia.

He may have done things you don't agree with but by doing those things he earnt a lot of money and is using that money to ensure the future of our native animals.

I feel terrible for his family but they know he died doing what he loved.

cackles

He certainly had a passion for life and what he did, wether you liked him or not.
He is still a father and for that alone he will be sadly missed.
Truckie I think we know who the tosser in this post really is!

Cheers Pesty

God bless you Steve. Rest in peace.

I'm surprised how upset I am to tell you the truth.

We'll miss you Steve.

Steve,

We will miss you a lot.

All the best to your family.

Like a lot of others have said, you may not have liked the way he did things but he was one of the most passionate Aussies you are likely to see.

RIP.

May I disassociate myself from all the dreadful bad-taste comments made about Irwin. Totally uncalled for. On behalf of all caravanners in Australia I would like to offer heartfelt condolences to Irwin's wife Terri and their two children Bindi and Bob. Irwin was an Aussie icon and we can all be proud of what he did for this country. He will be sadly missed.

Dennis
home page

Don't think I ever watched one of his shows completely.

Although he did'nt necessarily act as one expects the "typical" Aussie to, he was a great Australian who did a great deal of good for our native wildlife and tourism as well as a lot of charities.

He will be sadly missed.

Yes very sad, unfortunately for his family he did tend to live life on the razors edge.
He wont be around for his kids but they can grow up to be proud of him.

RIP

The world is a better place for his time here. Few can claim to have made such a contribution. His legend will live on, his legacy will remain for generations.

He definately pushed the envelope and I think his family will take solace from the fact he died doing what he loved... They were as enthusiastic about his passions as he was.

Feel for the kiddies growing up without a dad.

Yeah I heard it thro the roomer tree at work, didn’t believe it at first then I looked at my phone and a mate had sent me a massage saying the same thing.

I was reading an article about Malcolm Douglas this morning before work in the Sunday Times (in Perth), and Malcolm commented that he didn’t agree with the way Irwin did some things (And I would have to agree with him too) and one day he is going to end up getting himself Killed> Chit, talk about a prediction come true.

I watched a few of his show’s wouldn’t say I was a fan but respected him for what he did and what he was trying to achieve conservation wise and for Australian tourism, and his enthusiasm for it all was truly amazing, he will be Missed.

Cheers.

Steve Irwin = Aussie Legend. The End.

He was one of those blokes who you felt like you knew, he made me smile with his enthusiasm and his obvious love of life, animals and conservation. He was loved and admired by so many, and my kids thought he was really amazing.

My heart goes out to his family.

Lyn

Gonna miss him, he was a top bloke and his heart was in the right place. My kids loved him and through his shows have developed a love for wildlife. We were looking forwrad to going to Australia Zoo at the end of Sep when we are going to be in Brissy - we will still go but I think it will certainly be missing something.

Rest in peace Steve.

I loved him for the entertainer that he was. He certainly made a name for himself and I am sure that he became known around the world because he was such a good entertainer. My parents heard on the news that he died - and they are in France at the moment. He certainly gave conservation and Australia a presence and we are going to miss him.

Andrew

while we are on the RIPs
Farewell Colin Theile i am sure most of us enjoyed his books

Vale Steve.
Steve's death is a great loss to all Australians and of course most of all to his family.

The facts are that he was a great entertainer, a great character, a very successful business man, a great ambassador for Austraia, and finally a great family man.
He was a man of great compassion and a very genuine human being. (Those words come from someone I know, who knew him well.)

Sadly though, for some reason there will always be those who don't like a "tall poppy",- one Australian trait we could do without.

Yes, a real tragedy. I liked his style and enthusiasm...
We lived in the US for a couple of years (2001-2) and I can vouch for how much the Yanks loved him and just what a great job he did to promote Australia and our wild life to the rest of the World.
Rest in peace Steve

My wife and I have had quite a bit of experience in snorkeling ect and we believe that Steve is one of the most unluckiest guys around today. He must have been snorkeling just over reef flat in very shallow water and disturbed a ray.
Cheers Bruce and Anne.

My young fella who is the same age as Bindi is in tears tonite ,his school does a trip to Australia Zoo every year ,he has had the privilege to meet and ask the odd question from the crocodile man in person , an icon of Australiana gone too young , may his passion live on , Vale Steve Irwin ,THE CROCODILE MAN .

It’s news in the states
Pulled this of a U.S 4WD forum

"He was an amazing show host and an even better savoir for so many animals. He gave his life for the greater good of the animals this world so savagly murders. I don’t pity him for his death, I pity the animals and Us, the animals no longer have such a dedicated halder whose love was the animals, we lost a person who made us laugh while we learned about the extraordinary animals this world has, we lost a friend who loved his animals, he went with them.........To a place were animals are free, none loss or endahgerd. He is were he wanted to be."

My young bloke thaught steve was the greatest thing. He is so happy that he saw him in person last christmas and so am I he was a legend and should be remembered for the top bloke he was. A very sad day.
darren

Nothing to add that has not been said .......

A true loss of an larikin Aussie and father of two.

Brian

Whilst I can agree with those sentiments regarding thoughts of sympathy to his wife & children I find it hard to to be suprised that he died young ,as one who works with crocodiles it was only a matter of time that it happened when you handle dangerous animals in such a reckless manner.Everyone in the croc business shakes their heads at the way he handles animals,always choosing the most spectacular(and dangerous )methods of doing things- with no reguard for the safety of those involved.Conservationist - he was totaly opposed to the sustainable use programme we have inthe NT Which has seen our croc population rise from almost extinction in 1973 to about 70000 now. and don't get me start ed on his efforts which single handedly convinced the Fed Gov not to allow croc safari hunting ,which would have finally given a lot of isolated Aboriginal communities a chance to start a small industry ontheir land giving them some employment and pride -both of which are hard to come by for them.
John P

"Loss of a National Treasure" as some have put it is certainly not an understatement. One can only hope his work is continued, but no one will convey a message as well as Steve Irwin, particularly to kids.

If I ever have to give my own life to save another I would hope it is for someone like Steve.

Darren.

My condolences to his family, the news upset me. He brought Australia and all its glory into the homes of many the way no one else could. I doubt we will ever see anyone like him again in our lifetime. You were a champion bloke Steve and we will miss you.....rest in peace mate.

Funny Bloke, quite entertaining. He was quite the lad.

He made a lot of money by leading the dangerous life; it got him in the end.

Those who live by the sword, die by the sword.

Famous, wealthy and dead at 44.

Was it all worth it? Sad, very sad for the kids. He seemed to enjoy his life. I wonder how the kids will cope. We all have a responsiblity to our children, not just financially but to be there for them. Unfortunately he won't be there. The children will not suffer financially, but they'll grow up without a Dad.

Perhaps the responsibility of Fatherhood should exceed one's desires in life. Perhaps not. It's a personal decision. Mine would not have been to induldge in dangerous activities as a parent. His wasn't.

I'm not suggesting he was wrong, he just took one chance too many.

Sad.

And reading some of the threads.........if you have any criticism about the man (in a nice way or not!)here is not the place to post it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He was more of a man than most and of course when you are Steve Irwin your gonna cop criticism off some people. Let the man rest in peace.....he was the crock hunter, a larger than life character who lived dangerously. Malcolm Douglas may not have agreed with the way this man went about things, but, so bloody what...... Steve may not have agreed with the way Malcolm went about some things. What this man has done for Australia far out weighs any negatives that some people may talk about............no matter how big you think those negatives may be!

Just watching Steve as I write this during a replayed edition of the Andrew Denton programme featuring Steve Irwin some months ago.
He made me cringe a little at times because he was definitely over the top.
But that was him and he certainly had tremendous passion for the loves of his life, his family, animals and his country.
Just watching him, he is clearly going to be sadly missed and I think will be one of those characters whose loss comes under the cliche of "not knowing what you've got until it' s gone".
Gone in physical presence but he leaves us with a memory and legacy that I'm sure will last a long time.
GU

A huge response to the individual that was Steve. I didn't watch him much at all but noted the individual he was and lament his passing. I agree he pushed his envelope that eventually took him to the nature he loved. He would welcome his end, in the way he went I have little doubt. I do feel sorry for his family.

This whole thread is getting a liitle bit over the top.

He was a bloke who made a living playing with dangerous things and got wealthy from it. It killed him in the end. So be it.

I'm not saying he was a bad man, but get serious, he wasn't Fred Hollows or Victor Chang for ***** sake.

They were a serious loss to the community. And they never got rich from it.

Fred gave sight to thousands of poor children and died a pauper. Now that is a real HERO.

He loved being bush. I don't think bashing the bloke the day he's killed will help. I don't agree with everything he did, whales in antarctica, the way he intruded on animals in their habitat, supporting bush and howard like a teenybopper at a beatles concert are a few things.

He saw wild animals the same way as ones in his reptile park. But to take animals and the 'conservation' message to the masses in mainstream culture takes an eccentric personality.

Everyone will have an opinion i suppose.

Barnesy

He was a great man my brothers girlfreind grew up with steves family there will be some tears shead over the next few weeks he was a great ambasador for australia

Our condolences to the Irwin Family

I think the saddest thing was explaining it to my kids last night. They are 4 and 6, and are huge Wiggles fans, and loved the Wiggly Safari video. The 4 year old said "your joking, right?" (her attitude is a story for another day.....)..

They have both grown up watching him, and his antics, and absolutely love what he does. On our recent trip to Darwin, both insisted on seeing as many crododiles as they could, and were both drawing parallels with Steve.

He will be greatly missed our household, I can tell you that....

Sadly,

Chris

RIP steve, to those on here that seem to think its ok to put down a dead man PULL YOUR HEAD IN, if you have nothing nice to say say nothing. What happened the last time people put down/called all sorts of names of a dead man on here (nt croc attack), the victims family read it and got very upset.

Steve Irwin has achieved something in his life-time that only the World’s peak conservations bodies could dream of – to bring conservation into the homes of the mainstream in an entertaining and informative way. Not just in Australia, but globally.

Someone said earlier that the true value of what he has achieved may only become more obvious in the future when the investment of his work and money starts to pay real dividends.

There has been an overwhelming outpouring of support from all but a few within this forum and that comes as no surprise. I congratulate David and Michelle who, in their wisdom, have chosen to edit comments that were distasteful. To those that made the comments I think it would be fair to say that Steve Irwin wouldn’t have given a ‘Toss’, but simply would have risen above it and got on with what was important to him – such was the mark of the man who devoted a lifetime to the conservation of wildlife, carrying on the work that his family started a long time ago.

2246 views of this post in a little less than 24 hours.

I think David said (a few weeks ago) the most viewed post ever had about 2500 hits.

Says it all really.

Mike Harding

To those who have complained about how much money he made, one thing you have missed is he has poured most of it back into conservation and i'm not talking thousands i'm talking millions of dollars and the charity work he has done here and overseas.

AS ONE PERSON ABOVE HAS SAID

(DO A BIT OF HOMEWORK ON HIM)

Baz.

Farewell Steve, Oz is poorer for your passing.

Here goes.
When a drug dealer, terrorist, child molester etc dies, it is not sad, in fact it is often good.
When most deaths happen, there is sadness.
There have probably been 20 people I know in the past year whose death has been sadder to me than this one. That's not to put down the croc man, it is just saying that these things need to be kept in perspective. He did a lot of good stuff, but he also had a lot of downsides. I didn't idolise the man, but neither did I actively dislike him.
He was a bloke who did his job well, with passion and enthusiasm. So do countless thousands of Australians every day. His passing is no more tragic than anyone else's death, except the scum in my opening sentence.
Apart from the trucksters early post (bet he wishes he didn't say what he thought), I don't think there has been too much negativity in this thread, and it annoys me that so many people have to take offence at an opinion different to theirs.
Despite the "lady Di" type hysteria on this, the sun will still rise tomorrow, and life will go on. It will be different for those close to him, just like it is for anyone who loses someone close.
Regards

I think this is appropriate,

THE CROCODILES ARE CRYING

Endless visions fill my head – this man – as large as life
And instantly my heart mourns for his angels and his wife
Because the way I see Steve Irwin – just put everything aside
It comes back to his family – it comes back to his pride

His animals inclusive – Crikey – light the place with love!
Shine his star with everything he fought to rise above
The crazy-man of Khaki from the day he left the pouch
Living out his dream and in that classic ‘Stevo’ crouch

Exploding forth with character and redefining cheek
It’s one thing to be honoured as a champion unique
It’s one thing to have microphones and spotlight cameras shoved
It’s another to be taken in and genuinely loved

But that was where he had it right – I guess he always knew
From his fathers’ modest reptile park and then Australia Zoo
We cringed at times and shook our heads – but true to natures call
There was something very Irwin in the make up of us all

Yes the more I care to think of it – the more he had it right
If you’re going to make a difference – make it big and make it bright!
Yes - he was a lunatic! Yes - he went head first!
But he made the world feel happy with his energetic burst

A world so large and loyal that it’s hard to comprehend
I doubt we truly count the warmth until life meets an end
To count it now I say a prayer with words of inspiration
May the spotlight shine forever on his dream for conservation

…My daughter broke the news to me – my six year old in tears
It was like she’d just turned old enough to show her honest fears
I tried to make some sense of it but whilst her Dad was trying
His little girl explained it best…she said “The crocodiles are crying”

Their best mate’s up in heaven now – the crocs up there are smiling!
And as sure as flowers, poems and cards and memories are piling
As sure as we’ll continue with the trademarks of his spiel
Of all the tributes worthy – he was rough…but he was real

As sure as ‘Crikey!’ fills the sky
I think we’ll miss ya Steve…goodbye

RUPERT McCALL 2006