04/09/2026
It’s been 20 years since we lost “The Crocodile Hunter”, Steve Irwin, yet I still remember so vividly exactly where I was standing and what I was doing the moment that I heard the terrible news that he had passed away.
Like so many others, I grew up with Steve Irwin on my TV, and I wanted to be just like him. I was fascinated by the creatures that he’d present on his show. While other people would be terrified of snakes and crocodiles and spiders, etc, Steve had a way of portraying them in a different light. Steve would say these are not “evil, ugly monsters” and he’d encourage his audience to see creatures that were typically demonised and feared as something beautiful and fascinating and precious!
This is what I loved about Steve, and to this day, it’s been my main focus in everything I do in my capacity as “The Reptile Bloke” to show reptiles in particular as something valuable, something to be admired, and something to be respected.
My whole life I’ve been intrigued by wildlife and wild places, and when I’d watch Steve Irwin in Outback QLD sharing space with Inland Taipans, or up in Cape York with Green Tree Pythons and huge Saltwater Crocodiles, I’d almost be transported in my mind to those places, like I was actually there myself. Steve had this ability to draw you right into the action, even though you’re just watching your tv at home.
So even though I never met Steve, somehow I feel like I knew him, and 20 years on from his passing I still miss him, but my plan is to continue the legacy that he started and keep promoting all of our amazing wildlife, particularly snakes and other reptiles, teaching people to love them, just as Steve taught so many people in his time.
Thank you Steve for the inspiration.
