Irwin may refer to:

Places[link]

United States

• Irwin, California
• Irwin, Idaho
• Irwin, Illinois
• Irwin, Iowa
• Irwin, Ohio
• Irwin, Pennsylvania
• Irwin, South Carolina
• Irwin County, Georgia
• Irwin Township, Venango County, Pennsylvania
• Fort Irwin, California

Australia

• Shire of Irwin, Western Australia

People[link]

• Irwin (given name)
• Irwin (surname)

Fruit[link]

• Irwin (mango), a mango variety from Florida

Other uses[link]

• IRWIN, a painting collective that is a member of Neue Slowenische Kunst
• Irwin Toy, a Canadian toy manufacturer and distributor
• Irwin Industrial Tools, a division of Rubbermaid
• Irwin Magnetic Systems, a computer storage manufacturer

See also[link]

• Erwin (disambiguation)
• Irmin (disambiguation)

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Irwin Goodman
Background information
Birth name	Antti Yrjö Hammarberg
Also known as	Irwin Goodman Rock-Williams William White Andy Rudolf Holtz Hamppari Bob Mersey Bill Black
Born	September 14, 1943 Hämeenlinna, Finland
Origin	Hämeenlinna, Finland
Died	January 14, 1991(1991-01-14) (aged 47) Hamina, Finland
Genres	Rock Folk
Occupations	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals Guitar Harmonica
Years active	1962–1991
Labels	Finnlevy
Website	www.irwingoodman.com

Irwin Goodman (real name: Antti Yrjö Hammarberg, 14 September 1943, Hämeenlinna – 14 January 1991, Hamina) was a popular Finnish rock and folk singer. In the late 1960s he was widely known as a protest singer. He recorded over 300 songs, most of which were his own compositions, with lyrics written by Vexi Salmi. Irwin Goodman started as a protest song singer in the folk boom of the mid-1960s, his humorous songs, often mocking the authorities, became favorites of the Finnish people; to such extent that small "Irwin singalike" contests are continuously arranged by some pubs for entertainment. Goodman had continuing troubles with Finnish tax authorities and had ever-worsening problems with alcohol. His escapades were eagerly followed by sensationalist magazines such as Hymy.

Goodman died of a heart attack while on the way from Vyborg to Hamina, Finland. The story of his life was turned into a feature film, Rentun Ruusu, in 2001.

Irwin's most famous songs include "Poing Poing Poing" (1971), "Haistakaa Paska Koko Valtiovalta" (1976) , "Rentun Ruusu" (1988), "Ei Tippa Tapa" (1966), "Työmiehen lauantai" (1965), "En Kerro Kuinka Jouduin Naimisiin" (1965) and "Tyttö Tuli" (1978). He won the Syksyn Sävel contest twice.

Common themes on his songs were drinking and alcoholism ("Ei tippa tapa", "Vielä yhdet", "Kieltolaki", "Homma käy", "Soittajan maanantai", "Rentun ruusu"), bashing immigrants and racism ("Mutakuono ja lakupellet," "Marcellino magaroni") and problems with money ("Raha ratkaisee", "Kun ei rahat riitä", "Meni rahahommat pieleen", "Manu vippaa muutama markka"). He protested the government with songs like "Juhlavalssi," and "Haistakaa paska koko valtiovalta".

In 1971, Irwin released an album featuring actor Esa Pakarinen. His 1972 album Kohta taas on joulu consists of Christmas carols. The later songs ("Suruton nuoruusaika", "Maailma on kaunis", "Ai, ai, ai, kun nuori ois" and "Viimeinen laulu") were often dark when compared to songs from the 1960s and 1970s.

Albums discography[link]

• Irwinismi (1966)
• Ei tippa tapa (1966)
• Osta minut (1967)
• Reteesti vaan (1968)
• Irwin Goodman (1969)
• Työmiehen lauantai (1970)
• St. Pauli ja Reeperbahn (1970)
• Lonkalta (1971, feat. Esa Pakarinen)
• Poing, poing, poing (1971)
• Kohta taas on joulu (1972)
• Las Palmas (1972)
• Si Si Si (1973)
• Häirikkö (1976)
• Kolmastoista kerta (1977)
• Cha Cha Cha (1977)
• Inkkareita ja länkkäreitä (1977)
• Tyttö tuli (1978)
• Kulkurin kulta (1979, feat. Hanne)
• Keisari Irwin I (1979)
• Härmäläinen perusjuntti (1984)
• Dirly dirly dee (1985)
• Rentun Ruusu (1988)
• Vuosikerta -89 (1989)
• Hurraa - Me teemme laivoja (1990)
• Ai ai ai kun nuori ois (1990)

See also[link]

• List of best-selling music artists in Finland

This article about a Finnish singer is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Steve Irwin
Steve Irwin in Australia, 2005
Born	Stephen Robert Irwin (1962-02-22)22 February 1962 Essendon, Victoria
Died	4 September 2006(2006-09-04) (aged 44) Batt Reef, Queensland
Cause of death	Stingray accident
Nationality	Australian
Other names	The Crocodile Hunter
Occupation	Naturalist Zoologist Conservationist Television personality Herpetologist
Years active	1997–2006
Notable work(s)	The Crocodile Hunter
Spouse	Terri Irwin (m. 1992–2006) «start: (1992)–end+1: (2007)»"Marriage: Terri Irwin to Steve Irwin" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Steve_Irwin)
Children	Bindi Sue Irwin (b. 1998) Robert Clarence Irwin (b. 2003)
Website
Australia Zoo

Stephen Robert "Steve" Irwin (22 February 1962 – 4 September 2006), nicknamed "The Crocodile Hunter", was an Australian wildlife expert,^[1][2] television personality, and conservationist. Irwin achieved worldwide fame from the television series The Crocodile Hunter, an internationally broadcast wildlife documentary series which he co-hosted with his wife Terri. Together, the couple also owned and operated Australia Zoo, founded by Irwin's parents in Beerwah, about 80 kilometres (50 mi) north of the Queensland state capital city of Brisbane. Irwin died on 4 September 2006 after being pierced in the chest by a stingray barb while filming an underwater documentary film titled Ocean's Deadliest. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society ship MY Steve Irwin was named in his honour.

Early life[link]

Irwin was born on his mother's birthday to Lyn and Bob Irwin in Essendon, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria.^[3] He moved with his parents as a child to Queensland in 1970, where he attended Landsborough State School and Caloundra State High School.^[4] Irwin described his father as a wildlife expert interested in herpetology, while his mother Lyn was a wildlife rehabilitator. After moving to Queensland, Bob and Lyn Irwin started the small Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park, where Steve grew up around crocodiles and other reptiles.

Irwin became involved with the park in a number of ways, including taking part in daily animal feeding, as well as care and maintenance activities. On his sixth birthday he was given a 12-foot (4 m) scrub python. He began handling crocodiles at the age of nine after his father had educated him on reptiles from an early age.^[5] Also at age nine he wrestled his first crocodile, again under his father's supervision.^[6] He worked as a volunteer for Queensland's East Coast Crocodile Management program and captured over 100 crocodiles, some of which were relocated, while others were housed at the family park.^[7] Irwin took over the management of the park in 1991^[7] and renamed it Australia Zoo in 1992.^[8]

Career[link]

Marriage and family[link]

Terri Raines Irwin, the wife of Steve Irwin

In 1991, Irwin met Terri Raines, an American naturalist from Eugene, Oregon who was visiting wildlife rehabilitation facilities in Australia and had decided to visit the zoo. According to the couple, it was love at first sight. Terri said at the time, "I thought there was no one like this anywhere in the world. He sounded like an environmental Tarzan, a larger-than-life superhero guy."^[9] They were engaged four months later and were married in Eugene on 4 June 1992. Together they had two children: a daughter, Bindi Sue Irwin (born 24 July 1998), and a son, Robert Clarence "Bob" (named after Irwin's father) Irwin (born 1 December 2003). Bindi Sue is jointly named after two of Steve Irwin's favourite animals: Bindi, a saltwater crocodile, and Sui, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier who died on 23 June 2004. Irwin was as enthusiastic about his family as he was about his work. He once described his daughter Bindi as "the reason [he] was put on the Earth." His wife once said, "The only thing that could ever keep him away from the animals he loves are the people he loves even more."^[3] Although the Irwins were happily married, they did not wear wedding rings; they believed that in their line of work, wearing jewellery could pose a hazard to them and/or the animals.^[10]

[edit] The Crocodile Hunter and related work

Irwin feeding a crocodile at Australia Zoo

Steve and Terri spent their honeymoon trapping crocodiles together. Film footage of their honeymoon, taken by John Stainton, became the first episode of The Crocodile Hunter. The series debuted on Australian TV screens in 1996, and made its way onto North American television the following year. The Crocodile Hunter became successful in the United States, the UK,^[11] and over 130 other countries, reaching 500 million people. Irwin's exuberant and enthusiastic presenting style, broad Australian accent, signature khaki shorts, and catchphrase "Crikey!" became known worldwide.^[12] Sir David Attenborough praised Irwin for introducing many to the natural world, saying "He taught them how wonderful and exciting it was, he was a born communicator."^[13]

American satellite and cable television channel Animal Planet ended The Crocodile Hunter with a series finale titled "Steve's Last Adventure." The last Crocodile Hunter documentary spanned three hours with footage of Irwin's across-the-world adventure in locations including the Himalayas, the Yangtze River, Borneo, and the Kruger National Park. Irwin went on to star in other Animal Planet documentaries, including Croc Files,^[14] The Crocodile Hunter Diaries,^[15] and New Breed Vets.^[16] During a January 2006 interview on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Irwin announced that Discovery Kids would be developing a show for his daughter, Bindi Sue Irwin^[17] – a plan realised after his death as the series Bindi the Jungle Girl.^[18]

Other television and film work[link]

In 1998, Irwin continued, working with director Mark Strickson, to present The Ten Deadliest Snakes in the World.^[19] He appeared on several episodes of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.^[20][21] A 2000 FedEx commercial with Irwin lightheartedly dealt with the possibility of occupational death from snakebite and the fanciful notion that FedEx would have saved him, if only FedEx were used.^[22]

Under Irwin's leadership, the operations grew to include the zoo, the television series, the Steve Irwin Conservation Foundation (later renamed Wildlife Warriors), and the International Crocodile Rescue. Improvements to the Australia Zoo include the Animal Planet Crocoseum, the rainforest aviary and Tiger Temple. Irwin mentioned that he was considering opening an Australia Zoo in Las Vegas, Nevada, and possibly at other sites around the world.^[3]

In 2001, Irwin appeared in a cameo role in the Eddie Murphy film Dr. Dolittle 2, in which a crocodile warns Dolittle that he knows Irwin is going to grab him and is prepared to attack when he does, but Dolittle fails to warn Irwin in time. Irwin's only starring feature film role was in 2002's The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course, which was released to mixed reviews. In the film Irwin (who portrayed himself and performed numerous stunts) mistakes some CIA agents for poachers. He sets out to stop them from capturing a crocodile, which, unknown to him, has actually swallowed a tracking transmitter. The film won the Best Family Feature Film award for a comedy film at the Young Artist Awards. The film was produced on a budget of about US$12 million, and has grossed $33 million.^[23] To promote the film, Irwin was featured in an animated short produced by Animax Entertainment for Intermix.^[24]

In 2002, Irwin and his family appeared in the Wiggles video/DVD release Wiggly Safari, which was set in Australia Zoo and featured singing and dancing inspired by Australian wildlife.^[25]

Pacific National locomotive NR75 named Steve Irwin

In 2003, Irwin fronted an advertising campaign for The Ghan, a passenger train operating between Adelaide, Alice Springs, and Darwin.^[26] A Pacific National NR class locomotive was named Steve Irwin as part of the campaign.

In 2006, Irwin provided his voice for the 2006 animated film Happy Feet, as an elephant seal named Trev. The film was dedicated to Irwin, as he died during post-production.^[27] Another, previously incomplete scene, featuring Irwin providing the voice of an albatross and essentially playing himself, was restored to the DVD release.^[28]

Media campaigns[link]

Irwin was also involved in several media campaigns. He enthusiastically joined with the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service to promote Australia's strict quarantine/customs requirements, with advertisements and posters featuring slogans such as, "Quarantine Matters! Don't muck with it". His payments for these advertising campaigns were directed into his wildlife fund.^[29]

In 2004, Irwin was appointed ambassador for The Ghan, the passenger train running from Adelaide to Alice Springs in the central Australian outback, when the line was extended all the way to Darwin on the northern coast that year. For some time he was sponsored by Toyota.^[30]

Irwin was a keen promoter for Australian tourism in general and Queensland tourism in particular. In 2002, the Australia Zoo was voted Queensland's top tourist attraction.^[31] His immense popularity in the United States meant he often promoted Australia as a tourist destination there.^[32] As a part of the United States' "Australia Week" celebrations in January 2006, Irwin appeared at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, California.^[33]

Search and rescue in Mexico[link]

In November 2003, Irwin was filming a documentary on sea lions off the coast of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula when he heard via his boat's radio that two scuba divers were reported missing in the area. Irwin and his entire crew suspended operations to aid in the search. His team's divers searched with the rescue divers, and Irwin used his vessel to patrol the waters around the island where the incident occurred, as well as using his satellite communications system to call in a rescue plane. On the second day of the search, kayakers found one of the divers, Scott Jones, perched on a narrow rock ledge jutting out from the side of a cliff. Irwin and a crewmember escorted him to Irwin's boat. Jones did not recognise Irwin. The other lost diver, Katie Vrooman, was found dead by a search plane later the same day not far from Jones' location.^[34]

Honours[link]

In 1997, while on a fishing trip on the coast of Queensland with his father, Irwin discovered a new species of turtle. Later given the honour of naming the newly discovered species, he named it Irwin's turtle (Elseya irwini) after his family.^[35] Another newly discovered Australian animal – a species of air-breathing land snail, Crikey steveirwini, was named after Irwin in 2009.^[36]

In 2001, Irwin was awarded the Centenary Medal by the Australian government for his "service to global conservation and to Australian tourism".^[37] In 2004, he was recognised as Tourism Export of the Year.^[38] He was also nominated in 2004 for Australian of the Year^[39] – an honour which was won that year by Australian cricket captain Steve Waugh.^[40] Shortly before his death, Irwin was to be named an adjunct professor at the University of Queensland's School of Integrative Biology. On 14 November 2007, Irwin was awarded the adjunct professorship posthumously.^[1]

In May 2007, the government of Rwanda announced that it would name a baby gorilla after Irwin as a tribute to his work in wildlife conservation.^[41] Also in 2007, the state government of Kerala, India named the Crocodile Rehabilitation and Research Centre at Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary in his honour;^[42] however, Terri objected that this action had been taken without her permission and asked the Kerala government in 2009 to stop using Irwin's name and images^[43] – a request which the state government complied with in mid-2009.^[44]

Environmentalism[link]

Irwin was a passionate conservationist and believed in promoting environmentalism by sharing his excitement about the natural world rather than preaching to people. He was concerned with conservation of endangered animals and land clearing leading to loss of habitat. He considered conservation to be the most important part of his work: "I consider myself a wildlife warrior. My mission is to save the world's endangered species."^[31] Irwin bought "large tracts of land" in Australia, Vanuatu, Fiji and the United States, which he described as "like national parks" and stressed the importance of people realising that they could each make a difference.^[45]

Irwin founded the Steve Irwin Conservation Foundation, which became an independent charity and was later renamed "Wildlife Warriors Worldwide".^[46] He also helped found International Crocodile Rescue,^[47] the Lyn Irwin Memorial Fund (named in memory of his mother, who died in an automobile crash in 2000),^[48] and the Iron Bark Station Wildlife Rehabilitation Facility.^[49]

Irwin urged people to take part in considerate tourism and not support illegal poaching through the purchase of items such as turtle shells or shark-fin soup.^[50]

Sir David Attenborough was an inspiration to Irwin, according to his widow. When presenting a Lifetime Achievement Award to Attenborough after Irwin's death at the British National Television Awards on 31 October 2006, Terri Irwin said, "If there's one person who directly inspired my husband it's the person being honoured tonight.... [Steve's] real, true love was conservation – and the influence of tonight's recipient in preserving the natural world has been immense."^[51] Attenborough reciprocated by praising Irwin for introducing many to the natural world, saying, "He taught them how wonderful and exciting it was, he was a born communicator."^[13]

Irwin, after his death, was described by Mark Townend, CEO of RSPCA Queensland, as a "modern-day Noah."^[52] British naturalist David Bellamy lauded his skills as a natural historian and media performer.^[53] Canadian environmentalist David Suzuki paid tribute to Irwin, noting that "[h]umanity will not protect that which we fear or do not understand. Steve Irwin helped us understand those things that many people thought were a nuisance at best, a horror at worst. That made him a great educator and conservationist."^[54]

After his death, the vessel MV Robert Hunter owned by the environmental action group Sea Shepherd was renamed MY Steve Irwin.^[55] Shortly before his death, Irwin had been investigating joining Sea Shepherd's 2007–2008 voyage to Antarctica to disrupt Japanese whaling activity. Following his death, the organisation suggested renaming their vessel, and this idea was endorsed by Terri Irwin.^[56] Regarding the ship and its new name, Terri said, "If Steve were alive, he'd be aboard with them!"^[57]

Sporting activities[link]

Irwin loved mixed martial arts competitions and trained with Greg Jackson in the fighting/grappling system of Gaidojutsu.^[58]

Like many Australians, he was an avid cricket fan. This was seen during his visit to Sri Lanka where he played cricket with some local children and said "I love cricket" and "It's a shame we have to go catch some snakes now". This was seen during the Crocodile Hunter episode “Island of the Snakes".^[59]

Having grown up in Essendon, Irwin was a fan of the Essendon Bombers, an Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League.^[60] Irwin took part in an Australian Rules football promotion in Los Angeles as part of "Australia Week" in early 2006.^[61] After his death, a picture of Irwin wearing a Bombers Guernsey was shown by ESPN.com in their Bottom 10 ranking of the worst Division I FBS college football teams after Week 1 of the season in tribute to him.^[62]

Having lived in Queensland most of his life, Irwin was also a fan of rugby league. As a teenager, he played for the Caloundra Sharks as a second-rower,^[63] and as an adult he was known to be a passionate Brisbane Broncos fan and was involved with the club on several occasions. On one occasion after turning up to training he asked if he could tackle the largest player, Shane Webcke. Despite being thrown to the ground and looking like he'd been crushed he was jovial about the experience. Irwin laughingly shared the experience with the Queensland State of Origin squad before the 2006 series.^[64] Irwin also supported rugby union, being a fan of the national team, the Wallabies. He once wore a Wallaby jersey during a demonstration at the zoo. A behind-the-scenes episode of The Crocodile Hunter showed Irwin and the crew finding a petrol station in a remote part of Namibia to watch the Wallabies defeat France in the 1999 Rugby World Cup Final. Irwin was also a talented surfer.^[65]

Controversies[link]

MY Steve Irwin approaching Melbourne in February 2008

A controversial incident occurred during a public show on 2 January 2004, when Irwin carried his one-month-old son, Bob, in his arm while hand-feeding a chicken carcass to Murray, a 3.8-metre (12 ft 6 in) saltwater crocodile. The infant was close to the crocodile, and comparisons were made in the press to Michael Jackson's dangling his son outside a German hotel window.^[66] In addition, child welfare groups, animal rights groups, and some of Irwin's television viewers criticised his actions as irresponsible and tantamount to child abuse.^[67] Irwin apologised on the US NBC Today Show.^[68] Both he and his wife publicly stated that Irwin was in complete control of the situation, as he had dealt with crocodiles since he was a small child, and based on his lifetime of experience neither he nor his son were in any danger. He also showed footage of the event shot from a different angle, demonstrating that they were much further from the crocodile than they had appeared in the publicised clip.^[69] Terri Irwin said their child was in no more danger than one being taught to swim. No charges were filed; according to one journalist, Irwin told officials he would not repeat the action.^[70] The incident prompted the Queensland government to change its crocodile-handling laws, banning children and untrained adults from entering crocodile enclosures.^[71]

In June 2004, allegations were made that he disturbed wildlife (namely whales, seals and penguins) while filming a documentary, Ice Breaker, in Antarctica. The matter was subsequently closed without charges being laid.^[72]

After questions arose in 2003 about Irwin being paid $175,000 worth of taxpayers' money to appear in a television advertisement and his possible political ties, Irwin told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that he was a conservationist and did not choose sides in politics. His comments describing Australian Prime Minister John Howard as the "greatest leader in the world" earned him scorn in the media.^[73]

Irwin was criticised for having an unsophisticated view of conservation in Australia that seemed more linked to tourism than to the problems Australia faces as a continent. In response to questions of Australia's problems with overgrazing, salinity, and erosion, Irwin responded, "Cows have been on our land for so long that Australia has evolved to handle those big animals." The Sydney Morning Herald concluded with the opinion that his message was confusing and amounted to "eating roos and crocs is bad for tourism, and therefore more cruel than eating other animals".^[74]

Death[link]

On 4 September 2006, Irwin was fatally pierced in the chest by a stingray spine while snorkelling at the Great Barrier Reef, at Batt Reef, which is located off the coast of Port Douglas in north Queensland. Irwin was in the area filming his own documentary, Ocean's Deadliest, but weather had stalled filming. Irwin decided to take the opportunity to film some shallow water shots for a segment in the television program his daughter Bindi Irwin was hosting^[75] when the ray suddenly turned and lashed out at him with the spine on its tail.^[76]

The events were caught on camera, and a copy of the footage was handed to the Queensland Police.^[77] In an interview with Time, marine documentary filmmaker and former spearfisherman Ben Cropp concluded that Irwin had accidentally boxed the ray in, causing it to attack: "It stopped and twisted and threw up its tail with the spike, and it caught him in the chest.... It's a defensive thing. It's like being stabbed with a dirty dagger.... It's a one-in-a-million thing. I have swum with many rays, and I have only had one do that to me."^[78]

Initially, when CNN's Larry King interviewed Irwin's colleague John Stainton late on 4 September 2006, Stainton denied the suggestion that Irwin had pulled the spine out of his chest or that he had seen footage of the event, insisting that the anecdote was "absolute rubbish."^[79] However, the following day, when he first described the video to the media, he stated, "Steve came over the top of the ray and the tail came up, and spiked him here [in the chest], and he pulled it out and the next minute he's gone."^[77]

It is thought, in the absence of a coroner's report, that a combination of the toxins and the puncture wound from the spine caused Irwin to die of cardiac arrest, with most of the damage being inflicted by tears to arteries or other main blood vessels.^[80] A similar incident in Florida a month later, in which a man survived a stingray barb through the heart, suggested that Irwin's removing the barb might have caused or hastened his death.^[81]

Crew members aboard his boat called the emergency services in the nearest city of Cairns and administered CPR as they rushed the boat to the nearby Low Islets to meet an emergency rescue helicopter. However, despite the best efforts of Irwin's crew, medical staff pronounced him dead when they arrived a short time later.^[75] According to Dr Ed O'Loughlin, who treated Irwin, "it became clear fairly soon that he had non-survivable injuries. He had a penetrating injury to the left front of his chest. He had lost his pulse and wasn't breathing."^[82] Irwin's body was flown to a morgue in Cairns. His wife, Terri Irwin, who was on a walking tour in Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park in Tasmania at the time, returned via a private plane from Devonport to the Sunshine Coast with their two children.^[75]

Stainton told CNN's Larry King that, in his opinion, the videotape of Irwin's fatal accident "should be destroyed".^[83] In an interview with Barbara Walters on the American ABC network shortly after Irwin's death, Terri Irwin said she had not seen the film of her husband's deadly encounter with the stingray and that it would not be shown on television.^[84] On 3 January 2007, the only video footage showing the events that led to Irwin's death was handed over to Terri, who said that her family had not seen the video and that it would never be made public.^[85] In an 11 January 2007 interview with Access Hollywood, Terri said that "all footage [had] been destroyed."^[86] Despite these statements, numerous videos and still pictures claiming to be of Irwin's death surfaced on YouTube and other Internet sites.

Production was completed on Ocean's Deadliest, which aired for the first time on the Discovery Channel on 21 January 2007. The documentary was completed with footage shot in the weeks following the accident.^[87] According to Stainton, "Anything to do with the day that he died, that film is not available."^[88] Irwin's death is not mentioned in the film, aside from a still image of him at the end alongside the text "In Memory of Steve Irwin". Terri Irwin reported in 2007 that Steve had an ongoing premonition that he would die before he reached age 40.^[89] She wrote about this in a book about their lives together, Steve and Me.^[90]

Reaction[link]

News of Irwin's death prompted reactions around the world. Then Australian Prime Minister John Howard expressed his "shock and distress" at the death, saying that "Australia has lost a wonderful and colourful son."^[91] Queensland Premier Peter Beattie commented in a Channel Seven television interview that Irwin would "be remembered as not just a great Queenslander, but a great Australian".^[92] The Australian federal parliament opened on 5 September 2006 with condolence speeches by both Howard, and the Leader of the Opposition, Kim Beazley. Flags at the Sydney Harbour Bridge were lowered to half mast in honour of Irwin.^[93]

Several Australian news websites went down because of high web traffic, and for the first time, the "top ten" list of most-viewed stories for Fairfax Digital news sites was swept by a single topic.^[94] Talk-back radio experienced a high volume of callers expressing their grief.^[95] The television interview show Enough Rope re-broadcast a 2003 interview between Irwin and Andrew Denton on the evening of his death. The Seven Network aired a television memorial show as a tribute to Irwin on 5 September 2006,^[96] as did the Nine Network on 6 September.

The US feed of the Animal Planet cable television channel aired a special tribute to Irwin that started on Monday, 4 September. The tribute continued with the Animal Planet channel showing highlights of Irwin's more than 200 appearances on Discovery Network's shows.^[97] CNN showed a repeat of his 2004 interview on Larry King Live. Late-night talk show host Jay Leno—on whose show Irwin had appeared more than ten times—delivered a tribute describing Irwin as a great ambassador of Australia.^[98] There were also tributes on Live with Regis & Kelly and Barbara Walters' The View.^[98]

Hundreds of people visited Australia Zoo to pay tribute to the deceased entertainer and conservationist. The day after his death, the volume of people coming to pay their respects affected traffic so much that police reduced the speed limit near the zoo and told motorists to expect delays.^[99] BBC reported on 13 September that thousands of fans had been to Australia Zoo since Irwin's death, bringing flowers, candles, stuffed animals and messages of support.^[100] In the weeks after his death, Irwin's conservation foundation, Wildlife Warriors, reported that thousands of people from around the world were offering their support via donations to the conservation group.

Dan Mathews, vice-president of the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said it was "no shock at all that Steve Irwin should die provoking a dangerous animal." He added that "Irwin made his career out of antagonising frightened wild animals, that's a very dangerous message to send to children." He also made a comparison with another well known conservationist: "If you compare [Irwin] with a responsible conservationist like Jacques Cousteau, he looks like a cheap reality TV star."^[101][102] The son of Jacques Cousteau, Jean-Michel Cousteau—also a producer of wildlife documentaries—took issue as well with Irwin's hands-on approach to nature television, saying, "You don't touch nature, you just look at it." Cousteau went on to say that although Irwin's approach "goes very well on television", it would "interfere with nature, jump on animals, grab them, hold them, and have this very, very spectacular, dramatic way of presenting things" which he felt was "very misleading".^[103] Jacques Cousteau's grandson and Jean-Michel's nephew, Philippe Cousteau Jr., however, was working with Irwin on the "Ocean's Deadliest" documentary at the time of the accident and later described him as "a remarkable individual." Describing their project, he said, "I think why Steve was so excited about it that we were looking at these animals that people think of as, you know, dangerous and deadly monsters, and they're not. They all have an important place in the environment and in the world. And that was what his whole message was about."^[104]

Backlash against stingrays[link]

Fatalities due to stingrays are infrequent and occurrences are not consistently collated,^[105] while there have been several others in Australia. Irwin's death is believed to be the only fatality from a stingray ever captured on film.^[106] In the weeks following Irwin's death, at least ten stingrays were found dead and mutilated, with their tails cut off, on the beaches of Queensland, prompting speculation that they had been killed by fans of Irwin as an act of revenge. However, Bill Turner, chairman of Queensland fishing information service Sunfish, said the claims were ridiculous. "To tie this into what happened with Steve is just ridiculous", he said. "I've been seeing this for the 50 years that I've been fishing." ^[107] Michael Hornby, a friend of Irwin and executive director of his Wildlife Warrior fund, condemned any revenge killings. "We just want to make it very clear that we will not accept and not stand for anyone who's taken a form of retribution. That's the last thing Steve would want", he said.^[108]

Funeral[link]

Queensland Premier Peter Beattie offered to hold a state funeral for Irwin – an honour also agreed to by Prime Minister Howard. The family decided, however, that such a funeral would not have been appropriate. Irwin's father Bob stated that his son would not have wanted such an honour and would want to be remembered as an "ordinary bloke."^[109] Beattie stated he would honour the decision of the Irwin family regarding their arrangements.

Family and friends held a private funeral service at Caloundra on the afternoon of 9 September.^[110] Irwin was buried in a private ceremony at Australia Zoo on the same day; the grave site is inaccessible to the zoo's visitors.^[100]

Public memorial service[link]

A public service was held at the 5,500-seat Crocoseum at Australia Zoo on 20 September. The service was broadcast live, commercial free, in the eastern states of Australia, by free-to-air channels Seven, Nine and the ABC in Australia, as well as live on subscription channel Sky News Australia. In addition, it was broadcast live and without commercials on Animal Planet in the United States, as well as to Germany, the UK, and Asia. It is estimated that over 300 million viewers worldwide watched the service.^[111] The memorial was also rebroadcast in the US on Animal Planet on 1 January 2007, as part of their New Year's Day celebration, and again the following day.

The "Crocoseum" at Australia Zoo, where Steve Irwin's memorial service was held.

The memorial included a speech by Australian Prime Minister John Howard, as well as messages by celebrities from Australia and around the world including Hugh Jackman, Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake, Kevin Costner, Russell Crowe, David Wenham, Kelly Ripa and Larry King. Costner called Irwin a fearless man who was brave enough to let people see him as he was.^[112] Irwin's father, Bob Irwin, spoke at the memorial, as did his daughter Bindi and associates Wes Mannion and John Stainton.^[112] Anthony Field of The Wiggles partly hosted the service, often sharing the screen with various animals, from koalas to elephants. Australian music star John Williamson sang True Blue, which was Irwin's favourite song. In a symbolic finish to the service, Irwin's truck was loaded up with gear and driven out of the arena for the last time as Williamson sang. As a final tribute, Australia Zoo staff spelled out Irwin's catchphrase "Crikey" in yellow flowers as Irwin's truck was driven from the Crocoseum for the last time to end the service.

Other memorials[link]

Flags on the Sydney Harbour Bridge flew at half mast on the day of the memorial service,^[93] and several permanent memorials for Irwin have been considered or announced since his death. Premier Peter Beattie suggested a national park be named after Irwin or a permanent memorial might be constructed in his honour, though the details of the structure would depend on Irwin's family.^[99] On 1 January 2007, Glass House Mountains Road, the road that runs by the Australia Zoo, was officially renamed Steve Irwin Way.^[113] The Australian government announced in July 2007 that there would be a nature park in Australia named after Irwin.^[114]

Animal Planet announced it would rename the garden in front of Discovery Communications' world headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland to be the Steve Irwin Memorial Sensory Garden.^[115] Animal Planet also announced the creation of a Steve Irwin Crocodile Hunter Fund (called "The Crikey Fund") to "provide a way for people from across the globe to make contributions in Irwin's honour to support wildlife protection, education and conservation".^[115]

On the DVD of the animated film Happy Feet, there is a deleted scene in which the main character, Mumble, meets an albatross (voiced by Irwin) and a blue whale. The scene was unfinished at first, but it was included on the DVD release to honour Irwin's memory, as Irwin had insisted on being in a film that contained a message about the environment. However, this scene was removed from the movie, and it was decided to let Irwin play an elephant seal named Trev.

On 4 September 2007, Australian fans gathered at the Irwin family zoo on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland to commemorate the first anniversary of Irwin's death. State Premier Peter Beattie described Irwin as one of the state's greatest cultural ambassadors. On 15 November, Irwin's widow Terri and children, Bindi and Bob, remembered his life and achievements on "Steve Irwin Day".^[116]

An asteroid discovered in 2001 was named 57567 Crikey in honour of Irwin and his "signature phrase".^[117]

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

	Australia portal
	Biography portal

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Steve Irwin

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Steve Irwin (category)

The Wiktionary entry for crikey

• Australia Zoo's Crocodile Hunter website
• Official Animal Planet website for The Crocodile Hunter
• Steve 'The Crocodile Hunter' Irwin – slideshow by Life magazine
• steveirwinday.org
• Huge collection of features and photographs from Daily Telegraph concerning the Irwins
• Steve Irwin at the Open Directory Project
• Steve Irwin at the Internet Movie Database

Bindi Irwin
Bindi in May 2011
Born	Bindi Sue Irwin (1998-07-24) 24 July 1998 (age 13) Nambour, Queensland, Australia
Occupation	Actress Television presenter
Years active	2006–present
Parents	Steve Irwin Terri Irwin
Awards	Silver Logie Daytime Emmy

Bindi Sue Irwin (born 24 July 1998 in Nambour,^[1] Queensland, Australia) is the daughter of The Crocodile Hunter star Steve Irwin, and mother Terri Irwin. Bindi is a child celebrity who has been involved in acting, singing, songwriting, dancing, rapping, and a fitness DVD. She espouses the same conservationist philosophy as her parents.

Her first name comes from the name of her father's favourite female crocodile at the Australia Zoo, and her middle name is from the family's dog Sui, Sue. According to her father, Bindi is an Australian Aboriginal word that means "young girl."^[2]

Life[link]

Bindi began appearing on television shows as early as age two.^[3] She appeared regularly in her father's television shows, including The Crocodile Hunter Diaries, and also appeared in the 2002 film The Wiggles: Wiggly Safari in a credited cast role.^[4]

Irwin was the presenter of a 26-part wildlife documentary kids show called Bindi the Jungle Girl, a production of the Discovery Kids television network.^[5][6][7] Her father was filmed in many of the early shows before his death in 2006, when production was temporarily put on hold.^[8] The series premiered in June 2007 on Discovery Kids.

Post Steve Irwin's death[link]

Bindi's father, Steve Irwin, was killed by a stingray on 4 September 2006 while setting up to shoot ocean reef footage for a show that would include segments with Bindi, because weather prevented him from filming footage for a different show.^[9][10] Bindi and her mother announced that Bindi would continue her late father's conservation and television work.^[11] Steve Irwin had always said he supported Bindi's rise to fame, claiming "I just want to be co-star to my daughter".^[12]

On 20 September 2006, Bindi eulogized her father by delivering a speech in front of a crowd of 5,000 and a worldwide television audience of more than 300 million viewers, which received a standing ovation and was voted the television moment of the year by readers of the Australia TV Week Reader Poll 2006. Bindi's speech received 43 percent of the votes from the poll. Her mother stated that Bindi had written the speech herself, apart from some assistance with typing.^{[13][14][15][16]}

In June 2007, she hosted a US TV special about her father called My Daddy the Crocodile Hunter.^[17] She also starred in a child fitness DVD in which she sang and danced with a group called Bindi Kidfitness. She made a hip-hop album called Trouble In The Jungle. Bindi and The Crocmen sang "Trouble In The Jungle" on The Today Show in November 2007. Bindi is currently learning how to play the piano.^[18][13]

Bindi and Terri Irwin at Edwards USAFB to film a segment for Bindi the Jungle Girl.

In September 2006, at age 8, Bindi Irwin appeared on the cover of the Australian magazine New Idea, the youngest person to have done so in the magazine's 104-year history.^[19]

In early January 2007, she appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. At that time, she was also scheduled for appearances on the Late Show with David Letterman and in attendance with Russell Crowe at a major dinner. She was promoting her new video, Bindi Kidfitness, and fulfilling her role as a newly-appointed "tourism ambassador" for Australia.^[20]

Irwin appeared on Larry King Live on 11 January 2007. She said that creative writing was her favourite subject and math is her least favourite. She also said that she enjoys being homeschooled because she and her teachers were such good friends.

Posing for the TV camera with Terri Irwin.

At the 2007 Kids' Choice Awards, Irwin presented the award for "Favorite Male Singer", with help from George Lopez and Tyler James Williams, which was won by Justin Timberlake. She also presented at the TV Week Logies Awards 2007, with help from Glenn Robbins for 'Most Outstanding Children's Show', which was won by The Upside Down Show.^[21]

On 22 November 2007, Bindi appeared with her mother Terri in the 81st Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and performed songs from her album Trouble in the Jungle with The Crocmen on their jungle animal float.^[22][23][24]

In 2008, Irwin won a Daytime Emmy Award as Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series. At age nine, she became the youngest performer ever to win a Daytime Emmy, beating the previous record held by Camryn Grimes, who won a Daytime Emmy as Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series at age ten for The Young and the Restless.

On 26 December 2009 Bindi appeared live on stage at Australia Zoo with new backup singers/dancers The Jungle Girls.

Bindi commits 10% of her wage to Wildlife Warriors, the charity founded by her family in 2002.^[25]

She starred as Kirra in Free Willy: Escape from Pirate's Cove, which was released on 23 March 2010.^[26]

In 2012, Bindi will be hosting a 26 part wildlife-themed game show called Bindi's Bootcamp. The contestants will be put through "adventure challenges" that will educate and test their wildlife knowledge.^[27]

Notes[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bindi Irwin

• Forever Bindi fansite
• Bindi's Say
• Animal Planet profile
• Bindi's Profile from Australia Zoo
• Totally Bindi fansite
• Bindi Irwin at the Internet Movie Database

Terri Irwin
Terri on a San Francisco morning radio show during a US tour with Steve, 2002.
Born	Theresa Penelope Raines (1964-07-20) July 20, 1964 (age 47) Eugene, Oregon, U.S.
Nationality	Australian, American
Occupation	Naturalist, Zoologist, Conservationist
Years active	1997–present
Notable work(s)	The Crocodile Hunter
Spouse	Steve Irwin (m. 1992–2006) «start: (1992)–end+1: (2007)»"Marriage: Steve Irwin to Terri Irwin" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Terri_Irwin)
Children	Bindi Sue Irwin (b.1998) Robert Clarence Irwin (b.2003)
Parents	Clarence and Judy Raines
Website
www.crocodilehunter.com.au

Theresa Penelope "Terri" Irwin, AM (née Raines; born July 20, 1964) is an Australian-based,^[1] American-born naturalist, author, the widow of Australian naturalist Steve Irwin and owner of Australia Zoo at Beerwah, Queensland, Australia. She co-starred with her husband on The Crocodile Hunter, their unconventional television nature documentary series along with its spin-off series, Croc Files and The Crocodile Hunter Diaries. She has lived in Australia since 1992, when she married Steve Irwin.

Early life[link]

She was born Theresa Penelope Raines in Eugene, Oregon, the youngest of three daughters of Clarence and Judy Raines. Her family was in the trucking business. During her childhood, her father constantly brought home injured animals from the highways on which his trucks travelled; this eventually instilled in her an ongoing commitment to saving and rehabilitating wild animals. While working in the family business in 1986, she started a rehabilitation facility called "Cougar Country" to re-educate and release predatory mammals such as foxes, possums, raccoons, bears, bobcats, and cougars back into the wild. Soon she was handling 300 animals each year.

Career[link]

Steve Irwin (1962–2006), Terri Irwin's husband.

She joined an emergency veterinary hospital in 1989 as a veterinary technician to gain further knowledge on the care and support to all kinds of animals. Her life was very busy, as she was still helping her father run the family business, rehabilitating animals through her "Cougar Country", and working at the vet hospital. In addition, she had fifteen cats of her own, several birds and a dog.

In 1991, she went on a tour of Australia, and while visiting wildlife rehabilitation facilities, she had a chance meeting with and was charmed by Steve Irwin, whose father had owned the Australia Zoo. A "whirlwind romance" followed: They were engaged after only four months, and eight months later, on June 4, 1992, they married. Their first television documentary was filmed on their honeymoon. The footage, shot by John Stainton, became the first episode of The Crocodile Hunter, which later became successful in the United States.