Steve Irwin - A legend to be remembered
With the anniversary of Steve Irwin’s passing coming up on September 4th it has got me thinking again at what a truly remarkable human being he was and what lessons we all can learn from his life. I can remember the shock and sadness that I felt when I heard of his death and to be honest it made me angry to think that such an extrordinary person could be taken from us at the young age of 44.
If you don’t know who Steve Irwin was (and seriously who doesn’t!) he was better known as the Crocodile Hunter. The khaki-wearing, hyperactive man that was so deeply passionate about animal conservation that he made it his job to educate people around the world about looking after mother nature. Through his tv documentaries and the world famous Australia Zoo he bought attention to the plight of our wildlife in a unique and sometimes crazy way.
I think the biggest thing that we can learn from Steve, apart from his message about wildlife conservation, is what can be achieved when the passion and the goal is strong enough and he is a perfect example of someone living their dream. In 1991 Steve took over the reptile park from his parents and transformed it something that is a tribute to one man’s (and one woman’s - I’m sure Terri had a lot to do with it as well) vision. We are lucky enough to live not far from the Australia Zoo and have been there a number of times and if you haven’t been there it is truly a sight to see. There is no doubt that Steve had a lot of good people around him every step of the way but I think it would have been Steve that had the grand-plan firmly implanted in his mind.
A lot of people have critised Steve over the years for making Australians look like a bunch of looney’s. When you look at footage of behind the scenes action you realise that this man had a huge personality. He was larger than life. It’s a shame that some people see this as a bad thing and scorn someone having a great time and thoroughly enjoying life. I think Steve would have had a strong enough character to see that what other people thought of him was none of his business and to hell with the knockers! Obviously many people around the world liked what he did judging by the huge audience that his documentaries attracted.
People like Steve Irwin don’t come along everyday and it may be hard for you and I to remain so focused and committed to one thing when the chores of everyday life take up most of our time, but take a step back for a moment and see what other people have achieved and you know, they are no different from you and I, they just have a goal that they are willing to chase without letting anything get in their way.
Steve Irwin 22/2/1962 - 4/9/2006
May He Rest In Peace.
Craig Wilson