Steve Irwin's shock death is a tragic loss for Australia

If you can stomach one more thing about Steve Irwin. This is a very good editorial about him from the Austrailan.


Editorial: Croc hunter cut down in prime

05sep06



Steve Irwin's shock death is a tragic loss for Australia

IT'S an overused phrase that fails to compensate for the loss of life, but it is true that Steve Irwin died doing what he loved. No one could predict being speared through the heart by a stingray while filming a wildlife documentary on the Great Barrier Reef, but after a lifetime spent wrestling crocodiles and venomous snakes it is more of a shock than a surprise. At age 44, Irwin had managed to pack more into his life than his relative youth would suggest possible. And in his passing, Australia has lost one of its most internationally recognised celebrities and greatest forces for environmental protection. Irwin's story is that of a young boy who took his father's interest in crocodiles, built on it and captivated the world. The boom in cable television in the US allowed him to expand well beyond the confines of his Australia Zoo operation on Queensland's Sunshine Coast. Irwin's infectious enthusiasm conquered American audiences to an extent that most Australians find difficult to appreciate.

More at http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20353490-7583,00.html

In the words of the PM, he was one of Australia's
"beloved sons."

Because, as the SO said to me earlier today,"I hope Terri realizes that as much as he belonged to her, he also, in a way, belonged to the World."

Plus, the little hambone would have gotten a hell of a kick out of it....