crikey - this one's a beaut!

He was a cliché, a stereotype that some of his fellow australians found a touch embarrassing. And yet I woke up in shock when I heard that he had died this morning.He was as passionate as he was popular around the world. He loved nature and made sure you knew it. His enthusiasm for conservation and wildlife was reminiscent of a child seeing something amazing for the first time.

Steve Irwin was an inspiration - We laughed at him but we were jealous of him - he had found a job that he found as amazing and interesting as the day he started. His web site sums it up better than I can:

At 11am today, the 4th September 2006, Steve Irwin was fatally wounded by a stingray barb to his heart whilst filming a sequence on Batt Reef off Port Douglas for his daughter’s new TV series... medical staff pronounced Steve dead at approx. 12 noon.

His producer and closest friend, John Stainton said on Croc One today,“The world has lost a great wildlife icon, a passionate conservationist and one of the proudest Dads on the planet. He died doing what he loves best and left this world in a happy and peaceful state of mind. Crocs Rule!”- http://www.crocodilehunter.com/