Mrs. Crocodile Hunter

One of the cool things about working for a television broadcaster – CBC, in my case – is that occasionally interesting guests drop by the building for an on-air appearance. And once in a while you get to see the segment before it airs. Today I saw an interview with Terri Irwin, widow of Steve Irwin, the famed Australian wildlife conservationist (“The Crocodile Hunter”) who died tragically last fall.

Much like I expected, Terri was astoundingly down-to-earth and even-keeled. She lost her husband and the father of her two young kids less than six months ago and here she was carrying on his work of promoting wildlife and his homeland (she’s American-born).

Terri explained to the small studio audience that everyone deals with grief differently and this was her way of feeling close to Steve. Though she acknowledges that sometimes it’s hard to put one foot in front of the other. She told an amusing story about how she, a young tourist from Oregon, met him years ago at the same Australian Zoo they later co-owned and she now runs. Terri related how Steve told her that when he used to ask girls to dance and they refused, he snuck an earwig into their hair and watched them freak out. It turned out that Terri likes earwigs and found the story funny. She also told of her late husband’s interesting perspective on ‘crocs’: (I paraphrase) “You know crocodiles always want to bite you and eat you, whereas with people some of them pretend to be your friends.”

Steve and Terri’s daughter Bindi was supposed to be on the show but this obviously wonderful mother let Bindi do something that caught her fancy upon arriving in the neighbourhood. Instead of sitting dutifully on the couch and being interviewed for the umpteenth time in recent months, 8-year-old Bindi got the sky high thrill of climbing up the CN Tower (right across the street) with her younger brother Bob and obviously an escort or two in tow.

Why exactly is this so cool? Before the show – The Hour – started, host George Stroumboulopoulos told the gathering that he’s interviewed many show business children and their parents, and said that the moms and dads who didn’t let their kids have a childhood despite the show biz pressures ended up creating screwed up young adults.

Terri evidently understands that the greatest gift she is giving now is to two little people who thought their daddy walked on water: she’s letting them live, the demands of TV be damned. She said that Bindi’s dream from early on was to do what her daddy does. To that end, this total cutie will soon be starring in a show called Bindi the Jungle Girl. I’ll be watching with my daughter.

Terri explained that if her children ever tell her they’ve had enough of the limelight, then that would be it – all cameras off. Strong lady it seems. There’s much to like about her.