Saturday, 30 August 2008 06:24 PM

Peru Nightlife

© Rupert McCall's Poem for Steve  

I just had to make a page in memory of Steve, that lovable larrikin of ours. Probably more popular in death in his own country and then in the rest of the world before his premature death. We just took him for granted I feel. Sort of in your face and doing crazy and dangerous things with animals, reptiles and sea creatures. He made it look easy and he never appeared to frightened at all. No fear at all we were told by Terri expect pre wedding jitters.

I was reading the news on our ABC site on 4th September 2006, when I saw the headlines Steve Irwin dead, I went on to another unrelated pages and then realise what I had seen, it can't be for real, so I turned the radio on and sure enough it had actually happened. In total shock and sheer disbelief I was scrambling round trying to find out how it happened.

Well as we know by now an accident occurred and the stingray barb pierced his heart, fatally probably dying instantly. I do feel he would never have provoked this, it just was such a terrible accident and loss of an Aussie Icon. We do hope his privacy is protected and this footage never sees the light of day.

Sad like Princess Diana we have no place to visit and place flowers, but that was Steve's wish and Terri will never disclose where he was buried and we must respect this.

He leaves his dear wife Terri, Bindi and dear little Robert. Bindi is a clone of her dad. A natural performer and seems so keen to carry on with Steve's work where he signed off.

We hope this is not too much for her age and I know Terri will protect her and Steve's manage Mr Stainton will hopefully see this does not happen.

Goodbye Crocodile Hunter

1. Wasn't he a beauty
Crikey what a gem
A dinkum Aussie treasure
A khaki larrakin
Throwin' it all out there
Doin' what he'd do
You'd better duck for cover
Cos Steve is comin' through

2. Crazy as a cut snake
Bold as any man
He'd dive onto a crocodile
Hold spiders in his hand
Dodge a deadly brown snake
With big-eyed, "Holy Smoke!"
You could like him
You could loathe him
But you couldn't miss the bloke

CHORUS
And wasn't he a beauty
Crikey what a gem
A dinkum Aussie treasure
A khaki larrakin
Throwin' it all out there
With his heart upon his sleeve
Goodbye
Crocodile Hunter
Farewell Steve

3. He loved those deadly creatures
He gave the bush his all
The nastier the moment
The more he had a ball
1000 miles a minute
A showman to the core
He'd take a bit of bark off
And keep comin' back for more...

CHORUS
And wasn't he a beauty
Crikey what a gem
A dinkum Aussie treasure
A khaki larrakin
Throwin' it all out there
With his heart upon his sleeve
Goodbye
Crocodile Hunter
Farewell SteveGoodbye
Crocodile Hunter
Farewell Steve
Farewell Steve

Steve's Quotes:

Because when they strike it can be that quick that if they're within range, you're dead, you're dead in your tracks. And his head weighs more than my body so it's WHACK!
But I put my life on the line to save animals.
Crikey means gee whiz, wow!
Crikey, mate. You're far safer dealing with crocodiles and western diamondback rattlesnakes than the executives and the producers and all those sharks in the big MGM building.
Every cent we earn from Crocodile Hunter goes straight back into conservation. Every single cent.
Herein lies our problem. If we level that much land to grow rice and whatever, then no other animal could live there except for some insect pest species. Which is very unfortunate.
I am optimistic globally. So many scientists are working frantically on the reparation of our planet.
I believe our biggest issue is the same biggest issue that the whole world is facing, and that's habitat destruction.
I believe sustainable use is the greatest propaganda in wildlife conservation at the moment.
I believe that education is all about being excited about something. Seeing passion and enthusiasm helps push an educational message.
I bled a lot. I got hit across the face. We couldn't film for seven days. I got hit, whacked, underwater, across the face. I finished the shot, got into the boat and blood started coming out.
I get called an adrenaline junkie every other minute, and I'm just fine with that.
I have no fear of losing my life - if I have to save a koala or a crocodile or a kangaroo or a snake, mate, I will save it.
I mean, these are all just little pink bits here (pointing at his arm) and are just curing up now. I've been recently filming a nine-and-a-half-foot female crocodile I had to catch. Oh, man, she bit me up! That was a mistake.
I sincerely believe that there's room for cutting down trees for forestry and grazing, so as we all get to eat. Everyone has to compromise.
I'm a proud Australian, a very, very proud Australian.
I've probably saved thousands of peoples' lives with my educational message on snake bites, how to get in around venomous anything.
My belief is that what comes across on the television is a capture of my enthusiasm and my passion for wildlife.
My dad taught me from my youngest childhood memories through these connections with Aboriginal and tribal people that you must always protect people's sacred status, regardless of the pest.
My field is with apex predators, hence your crocodiles, your snakes, your spiders.
No matter where you go and what you do in America, you turn the tellie on and you're confronted with violence.
No, snakes are no problem. I'd go to any country, anywhere, any snakes, not a problem.
See, I've always seen Jacques Cousteau as a hero, mate. He's a legend - like my dad, just a legend. And so what he did for conservation in the '60s through the '70s was just phenomenal.
Sharks, I've been self-trained as well, and crocodiles, naturally. I've been catching them since I was nine. No problem.
Since I was a boy, from this house, I was out rescuing crocodiles and snakes. My mum and dad were very passionate about that and, I was lucky enough to go along.
Snakes are just very instinctive to me. I've been playing with snakes since before I could walk. It doesn't matter where or what it is, from the biggest to the most venomous.
So fear helps me from making mistakes, but I make lot of mistakes.
So now what happens is the cameras follow me around and capture exactly what I've been doing since I was a boy. Only now we have a team of, you know, like 73 of us, and it's gone beyond that.
So, my tactic with conservation of apex predators is to get people excited and take them to where they live.
Take the crocodile, for example, my favourite animal. There are 23 species. Seventeen of those species are rare or endangered. They're on the way out, no matter what anyone does or says, you know.
© Evelyn Pignantaro

 

That might have a lot to do with it, but you know, I probably don't show fear, but I suffer from fear like everyone else.
The first crocodile I ever caught was at nine years of age, and it was a rescue.
The only animals I'm not comfortable with are parrots, but I'm learning as I go. I'm getting better and better at 'em. I really am.
There's a lot of research behind the scenes that you don't get to see, but I have an instinct that my dad nurtured from when I was born. I was very lucky then.
We've evolved from sitting back on our tripods and shooting wildlife films like they have been shot historically, which doesn't work for us.
When I talk to the camera, mate, it's not like I'm talking to the camera, I'm talking to you because I want to whip you around and plunk you right there with me.
When the East Timor conflict broke out, when they gained independence, the militia killed a lot of East Timorese people. And their sacred totem is the crocodile. They believe that their island is actually a solidified crocodile, so it has sacred status.
Where I live if someone gives you a hug it's from the heart.
Yeah, for some reason parrots have to bite me. That's their job. I don't know why that is. They've nearly torn my nose off. I've had some really bad parrot bites.
Yeah, I think it's an absolute disaster that Australia, the government, allowed kangaroo culling.
Yeah, I'm a thrill seeker, but crikey, education's the most important thing.
You know, I'm Australian, and we have got the worst sense of humour. We are cruel to each other.
You know, you can touch a stick of dynamite, but if you touch a venomous snake it'll turn around and bite you and kill you so fast it's not even funny.