Vale Steve Irwin

I was shocked and saddened (but I have to say not surprised) when my daughter Kirsty SMS'd me to say that Steve Irwin had died. Steve was a true Australian icon.

Australia Zoo is not far north of where I have been living in Brisbane. I recall many, many years ago visiting the reptile park run by Steve's parents. It was a sleepy friendly place. I recall being sad when it was destroyed by fire and a large number of their reptiles killed. Steve has done an amazing job of transforming that place into what is now Australia Zoo.

If you never saw him working in person, you missed one of life's wonders. I have seen the show at the zoo when he was there and I've seen it when he wasn't, and it was two very different shows. I used to describe it to people as that his staff were very game and did excellent work but that Steve was plain crazy. When he was working, you couldn't stop watching.

What impressed me more than all was how down to earth he was as a person. Even though he had amassed an amazing fortune, he didn't act like someone that had. I recall being at Universal Studios a few years ago, at the time the Crocodile Hunter movie came out, and I remember they were selling Steve and Terri dolls there. It's hard for people in Australia to realise how significant that is. Yet he still lived in a basic little house near the zoo and still drove his ute.

He will be sadly missed even by those that didn't agree with him. The world has lost a real character and I for one, am feeling very privileged to have seen him while he was with us.