Crikey!

So I guess the big news of today is that Steve Irwin has died. I'm finding it to be upsetting. He was an incredible person, someone with such a zest and love of life, and it's tragic to think of the young family he has left behind to carry on without him. I would dearly love to be more eloquent on the issue, but I'll do the best that I can.

I feel a connection with Steve. He was a person that was could engage with anyone, and at the end of the conversation call them mate. During the conversation he would excite within the other person his own ideals through sheer force of will power. He had the charishma, drive and ideals to change the way that we think about the world in which we live. His work on the television shows only highlighted his neverending drive for conservation of our flora and fauna. He was a man with so much life within him, it is tragic for him to have passed at such a young age.

I visited the zoo earlier this year. All day I heard cries of "Will Steve be in today?" Everyone there wanted to have a chance to meet him. He was the driving force behind the zoo and it's mascot at the same time. Steve was involved in all aspects of how the zoo was run, even having a policy that if he was unable to pick up a random piece of fruit being fed to an elephant, then the elephant would not be eating the substandard fruit. He was a born leader. The amount of energy and drive that he brought to his activities is astounding. Steve Irwin worked tirelessly to raise awareness and to create conservation sanctuaries for habitats that were being endandgered by human delevelopment.

The irony in his death is that it was such an innocuous animal in the sting ray that did him in in the end. After playing with venomous spiders, snakes and man eating crocodiles, an animal which is relatively harmless was the one to take him out of the game. A tremendous tragedy.

Steve Irwin certainly lived a special life, the life that he wanted to lead. It's too soon though. Too soon for his young son Bob. His daugter Bindi. His wife Terri. They will have to come back to the Australia Zoo and look around them at the work there father has made possible. I hope that they will continue to work on the Zoo as their time arrives and continues his legacy of conservation and information for the masses.

I really liked Steve Irwin, even though I did at times think that he was just a sneaky hippie. He truly lived by his own rules, knowing the consequences of his actions, but measuring them up against possibilities. He was a great Australian. A great Queenslander. And he will be missed by many.