bust Posted September 20, 2006 Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 Over 300 million viewers paid tribute today to Steve Irwin. One of his many passions apart from the crocs were the elephants of South east Asia especially Thailand. Not sure how many were aware of this story. AN elephant camp in Thailand which TV naturalist Steve Irwin planned to visit next month held a tribute to the Australian Crocodile Hunter killed by a stingray in a freak accident. About 20 mahouts and a bull elephant attended a memorial service for Irwin at the Ayutthaya Elephant Palace, 80km north of Bangkok. They laid a wreath in front of a poster of Irwin, read a tribute to him and had a minute of silence. â??Steve lived life as if on the wing of the dragon,â? said Princess Rangsinopdol Yugala, sitting on an elephant covered with a red piece of cloth of the type used in ancient wars. â??His spirit matched our ancient Thai warriors who fearlessly rode the great musth elephants into battles,â? she said. Irwin was popular in Thailand, where his show appears on a cable network and the story of his death was on the front pages of all Thai tabloids and prominent in television news shows. Camp owner Laithongrein Meepan said Irwin had pledged to donate 1 million baht ($34,400) to a DNA project for elephants in Thailand during a visit next month to film a documentary on the lives of Thai elephants. â??He said he wanted to tell the world that Thai elephants aren't dangerousâ? and was committed to fund another project to buy a piece of land for old elephants to retire on, Mr Laithongrein said. While Mr T will probably slip away into the political wilderness to live a comfortable life, the animals and the enviroment lost probably the best friend they had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torneyboy Posted September 20, 2006 Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 yes it was a very moving and fitting event... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavanami Posted September 20, 2006 Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 What a class act guy! Let's raise a few to Steve, good guy!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Hippie Posted September 20, 2006 Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 Moving farewell to 'wildlife warrior' By Nick Bryant BBC News, Sydney This was a made-for-television memorial service which brought together the two contrasting worlds which Steve Irwin occupied: the expansive wilderness of the Australian Outback, and the extraordinary fame of Hollywood. Sure, there were tributes from stars like Russell Crowe and Cameron Diaz, and a deftly-worded eulogy from Prime Minister John Howard. But the real emotional power came from the family and friends of Steve Irwin, like Wes Mannion, his mate at the Australia Zoo, who broke down in tears as he remembered the day when the Crocodile Hunter saved his life. Terri Irwin, Steve Irwin's wife, sits with daughter Bindi (L) and son Bob at the memorial service Irwin's family wore his trademark khaki uniform at the memorial service There was music from a choir wearing the Crocodile Hunter's trademark khaki uniform, and at one stage three elephants were brought into the Crocoseum arena, the poolside stadium where Steve Irwin delighted fans with his wildlife antics. But then he always said that the animals should be the stars. The biggest cheer was reserved for his daughter, eight-year-old Bindi, who already has her own television show and is set to follow in her father's perilous footsteps. Clearly, she is a natural performer and a youngster of extraordinary poise. The service was interspersed with film of Steve Irwin in action, grappling with crocodiles, staring down snakes - his unique blend of adventurism and bravado which made him a global sensation. There has been a very public re-evaluation of his lifetime's accomplishments The service reached its climax with Steve Irwin's white pick-up truck being loaded with croc-hunting gear, and then driven slowly from the arena. Then staff from the Australia zoo laid a floral tribute, spelling out his catchphrase: "Crikey." It is easy to be cynical, but the effect was genuinely moving. And the show was not over yet. Anthony Field, the blue-shirted member of that other great Australian global phenomenon The Wiggles, leapt energetically onto stage shouting "Croc Rules". Potty homage This has been an extraordinary couple of weeks to be in Australia, in no way comparable to the wave of emotion that convulsed the UK after the death of Princess Diana, but fascinating nonetheless. Much of the reaction seems to have been kid-driven by the Crocodile Hunter's young army of adoring fans. And perhaps some of it stemmed from a sense of guilt: that Irwin received greater approbation outside of Australia, certainly at the start of his television career, than at home. Certainly, there has been a very public re-evaluation of his lifetime's accomplishments. Prior to his death, I doubt if many Australians knew the full extent of his conservation work: the fact that he financed so many projects from the dollars generated by his television success. His claim to be a "wildlife warrior" was no idle boast. Though it did not make any of the television specials and retrospectives, one of my favourite tributes came on a radio phone-in show on the afternoon that Steve Irwin was killed. A young mother chirpily recalled the day that her young infant managed to perform potty duties for the first time without any mishaps. In celebration, she told her proud young son that he could call anyone in the world to share the good news. "I want to call the Croc Hunter," came the cry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torneyboy Posted September 20, 2006 Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 His daughter was fantastic and spoke very well...the whole day was well done..even our PM got it right... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bust Posted September 20, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 You can never replace people like him. He was one of those unique people that probably come along once in a lifetime. I found the piece where he busted a couple of fingers and cracked a rib saving a big croc. Although obviously in pain was just so overwhelmed with the satisfaction of helping the croc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nervous_Dog Posted September 20, 2006 Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 Was amazing his daughter, sad for her bt great she got to se how loved her daddy is. DOG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lazyphil Posted September 20, 2006 Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 she was awesome, just saw her on telly, bless her. He'll be missed in this corner of pome land. CRIKEY what a legend! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sayjann Posted September 20, 2006 Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 i also enjoyed little Bindi's tribute.........she's a natural....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pescator Posted September 20, 2006 Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 It`s weird, I never knew the guy except from the tube and I didn`t even watch his shows after a while `cause I thought he was a bit over the top. But still and strangely his death got to me. I am aware of his conservation accomplishments and I guess that`s what made me feel so emotional about his premature demise. A good guy and one in a million. cheers hn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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