'I've lost my Mum, got my Dad…he was ahead of his time, you know, just so far out infront of anyone else with wildlife in the world, who I actually hero-worshipp…What a childhood! Our house was a giant maternity ward fair smack-dab in the middle of the Beerway Reptile Park. It was nothing for us kids to be sharing our house with orphaned joey kangaroos, sugar gliders, ringtail or brushtail possums, koala joeys, baby birds What a wild menagerie and an exceptional household to be raised in.' - Steve Irwin
Steve Irwin did not emerge into the world fully formed as The Crocodile Hunter. The person most responsible for mentoring the wildlife legend was his father, Bob Irwin; a man ahead of his time and an inspiring elder in our community.
It was 1970 when Bob, then a plumber living in Melbourne with his childhood sweetheart, Lynn, packed up his family and moved to Queensland to start the Beerwah Reptile Park, now Australia Zoo. Bob did a 'sea change' and 'down sized' before the terms were even invented. Before the whole world went green, he devoted his life to ground breaking animal conservation, to the environment and to becoming a master crocodile hunter with Steve.
To date, the Bob Irwin story - a strong and compelling tale of a life lived large; of big dreams and heartbreaking tragedy - remains untold. Which means the complete Steve Irwin story is also untold, with many chapters to be revealed.
The biography of Bob Irwin tells the story of both men, and of the powerful relationship between father and son; a relationship that shaped both their lives, and created a legacy that inspired millions of people across the globe.
