The Last Crocodile Hunter

by Bob Irwin

  ‘Go and take a swim in Sweetie’s pool, I’ve just cleaned it out. I’ve just had a dunk in there myself!’ Dad said. ‘Just keep an eye on her, Grub. Sweetie’s up in the back corner sittin’ on the leaves. If she starts to move towards the pool then get out quick smart!’ he added.

  ‘Okay, Dad,’ I trustingly replied and I had a beautiful swim, though it was quick. I was in and out in two seconds flat.

  I trusted Dad with my life. I suppose I shouldn’t have; there were times when I witnessed him hanging out of a large freshwater crocodile’s mouth and countless other close calls with potentially deadly animals, but I did that without ever blinking an eye. Because that’s the kind of guy our dad was. With him around, nothing ever fazed me, and I look back now as an adult and I wonder where that kind of trust is born, given the circumstances we were faced with. You knew he wasn’t going to give you a bum steer; that he’d never let us do something that he wouldn’t do himself. And the animal kingdom picks up on that too. Animals seemed to give him their trust in return, allowing him the chance to observe and care for an assortment of weird and wonderful creatures so that he could share his findings with others. Dad and Mum handed that gift down to Steve, Joy and me. I can’t imagine a life without animals around me. I think it would be an awfully empty existence, singular and selfish to consider only the wellbeing of our own species.

  I certainly got my patience from Mum. I can remember seeing many tools sent flying while Dad was working out in the shed. Patience was famously not his virtue, but when it came to wildlife, he had all the patience in the world.

  I love you, Dad, with all of my heart.

  In leaving Melbourne, you sought out togetherness for a young family, and you more than succeeded at that. Our tight-knit family unit was testament to that with endless laughs around the dinner table, crowded at times with an army of interesting friends that you attracted with your big heart. I am so thankful for the childhood that I had. I miss those days of togetherness now that it has all but come undone. In our household, there was rarely an argument. When we struggled financially, as a kid I was oblivious. I never witnessed a bad word spoken between you and Mum. If there was, we didn’t see it because it was never around us kids. I have so much respect for that.

  I can still remember that horrible phone call the day we lost Mum, and then a similar one six and a half years later when we lost Steve too. Two beautiful, honest, loving people who should never have been taken from this world. I have a huge hole in my heart where they both should be that will never heal until we can all be together again, with Trinni and Curley Bird and Brolly too.

  I’m so glad you’re still here, although I am aware how difficult it is at times for you to comprehend the cards that you have been dealt. But you are strong, and you have taught us to be strong too. You have taught us to keep fighting for the things that are important and following what’s in our hearts.

  In my eyes you’re the man who started an empire. If you had not dug that first hole, if you’d not cemented in that first fence pole, if you’d not had the foresight that you could achieve your dreams when everyone else said it wasn’t possible, then I wonder where I would be today, and so many others who have passed through the front gates of what is now Australia Zoo. You didn’t build a zoo but a classroom for many people to learn something important about animals and about themselves in the process. You are an inspiration to all of us that anything is possible. When I think about it now, my English teacher was right to say you were a person of interest. You’re not quite a celebrity, because that’s just not your thing at all. Your motivation has only ever been for helping animals. I understand now how rare, remarkable and big-hearted you truly are. The world has a lot to learn from you and your compassion. How lucky we have been to call you Dad. These days, I wish I could give up work and keep following you on all of your many adventures on the roads less travelled. One day we will, Dad.

  Mum and Steve would be so proud of you. We all are.

  Acknowledgements

  When Bob and I first ventured into the great Australian outback at Broken Hill, the owner of the very property that we were there to see, Steve Radford (aka Dot), gave me some sensible advice which gave wings to this book. Over dinner one night, looking out at another breathtaking Broken Hill sunset, he said to me, ‘You ought to write down his stories, you know. You’re the only one who could do it. When I was younger, I too had a mentor like Bob and my greatest regret is not recording some of those stories to relive today.’ That sparked me to begin writing down Bob’s anecdotes and advice for my generation about the preservation of the environment. If it hadn’t been for Steve Radford, many of these stories would be lost forever. I have only wanted to record them in Bob’s voice.

  Thanks a lot, Dot; these stories were recorded on paper because you started the cogs turning to preserve Bob Irwin’s legacy. The legacy of our hero.

  ***

  Bob would sincerely like to thank everybody who generously had input into this book; each conversation, no matter how short, has greatly influenced this story. It truly has been a collaborative effort that wouldn’t have been possible without the following very special individuals:

  Judy Irwin

  Without you, Judy, this project quite simply wouldn’t have been completed. I would probably have got halfway through it and decided to throw in the towel. Over the years, I have been thankful to have you as my sounding board and that has been fundamentally important to me. But I owe you a lot more than that. The very fact that I am still sitting here writing this book, I attribute to you. I’m sure you thought when you first met me, ‘I can save this human,’ and you have succeeded. Thank you for getting inside my head and giving me a greater insight into life itself. I really do appreciate having you around me and the friendship we share.

  My family

  MANDY JOHNSTONE AND FAMILY, JOY MUSCILLO, BONNY CUMMING, GRAEME HAKKAINSSON

  As a parent, I’ve always felt it was my responsibility to ensure our children had as good a life as possible. And although you wouldn’t exactly call it a normal existence, I know we achieved a great life for our children. What we have received in return is a wonderful family and I will always treasure those times we have shared. I know now that the glue in our family was mostly Lyn. She was the strength behind the family, even though she was only knee-high to a grasshopper. Since she left, I’ll be the first to admit, it’s been hard to replicate that. It’s only in recent history I have realised just how essentially important family are. That was the mistake I made early in the piece. I thought I could cope better on my own, and I’m certainly thankful to all of you for being there through thick and thin. Thank you, Mandy, in particular, for your time spent on this book.

  The Croc Team

  BRIAN AND KATE COULTER, FRANK MIKULA, DAN MEAD, DAN HIGGINS, BRIAN HERBERT, BRIAN WATSON, TREVOR NEUCOM, BRETT MOSTYN AND DAMIEN MORRIS

  One of the highlights for me in writing this book has been unearthing your anecdotes and being able to reminisce about one of the most satisfying chapters of my life. It has been an honour working with you over the years and watching teamwork play out at its best. What we learnt out there wasn’t just about crocodiles, but important life lessons. I hope that no matter where the road takes you from here, from time to time you’ll heed some of that advice. Thank you for the opportunity to reconnect and for sharing your personal stories. To those whose names are not mentioned, you know who you are.

  Mates for life

  MAUREEN & PETER HASKINS, NOEL & JILL PECK, STEPHEN & ANNALISA ACCORNERO, ANGUS YOUNG, JOHN CANN, TREVOR NEUCOM, KEVIN & VAL WRAYFORD, NEVILLE BURNS AND BRETT SMITH

  Good friends are hard to find. Even rarer for me are people who have shared my likeminded passion for the environment and that’s the kind of category in which I put you all. No matter how many years it is between the times we meet up, I always get a really good feeling. Thank you for your warmth, hospitality and encouragement throughout the process of writing this book.

/>   A special thankyou also to Alby & Andrew Davies, Mandy Lake, Margi Brown and my good friend and all-round healer John Rogers.

  The Bob Irwin Wildlife & Conservation Foundation Inc.

  GRAHAM MORROW, DENNIS CARROLL, JULIE & WARREN LOHMANN, BONNY CUMMING, JUDY IRWIN, GREGORY JOHNSTONE, BEN DESSEN, TOM LAWTON, DAN MEAD, BRETT MOSTYN, AMANDA FRENCH, BOB’S ARMY VOLUNTEERS

  I found out a long time ago that it doesn’t matter how good you are, if you haven’t got good people around you, you can forget about it. What we have now is what I consider to be a really loyal group of passionate young Australians committed to the protection of our environment. Thank you for being an inspiration to me to keep on doing what I do and for being the backbone of our advocacy always. You have given me hope that the story will continue on.

  Behind the scenes

  JANE PALFREYMAN, EMMA RUSHER, SIOBHAN CANTRILL, AZIZA KUYPERS, ANDY PALMER, FELICIA RUSHER, DEBRA BUDGE

  Thank you to our wonderful publishers, Allen & Unwin, for your belief in this book and the ongoing encouragement you’ve given me over many years in telling this story. To the various people working around the clock, in particular Siobhan Cantrill, you truly have been an amazing team to work with, and for someone who’s not all that comfortable in the spotlight, it has been a surprisingly comfortable ride to go back in time thanks to all of you. To Jane Palfreyman, I sincerely appreciate the trust I have been able to put in your wonderful team. It’s only thanks to your unconditional dedication to bringing this book to life that it has been possible. Emma Rusher, thank you for weaving this web together and for your invaluable contribution to this book over many long years. We finally did it.

  Bob to Amanda

  It’s interesting that you meet people in your life, at different stages, and instantly you’re aware that person is going to be a big influence somewhere down the track. I realised from the very beginning that if I could get Amanda involved in my work, then she would play a big role in my life and help me to keep it all going. The more time I spend with her on the road, the more involved she becomes and I’ve realised how important she has been as the glue to put this whole picture together. She works very well with people, and some of the things that I’ve done over the last seven years I wouldn’t have done without her. She’s the one who’s pushed, shoved, questioned and done all things necessary to make it all happen, and let me tell you, at times it’s not easy to travel with me. If it wasn’t for her, many of these projects, including this book, would never have come to fruition. Amanda, you never cease to amaze me because you continually prove you can do it. You are a true exemplar of the adage that if you believe in something strongly enough, you can achieve it. I only hope you’ll continue to follow your passion.

  And, lastly, Amanda to Bob

  You are my wildlife hero and my like-minded friend with whom age is no barrier. You understand what makes me tick and have encouraged me to realise my dreams on so many occasions. And here we are now, having completed your book. I cherish the opportunities you have given me to see parts of this country that I am so proud to call home and experience a compassion I have witnessed in no other job. How lucky am I to work alongside you out in the field and soak up all I can about an industry I am deeply passionate about. Those experiences are worth more than money can buy.

  Both you and Judy have given me confidence in my abilities, hope for a better world and an understanding of how important it is to stand up for what you believe in. And because I have the last say here in this book, you’re going to listen to me for a change!

  You have inspired, encouraged and supported me, and so many others through your life journey in very profound ways. You continue to say you have failed, but in our collective eyes, you have succeeded by giving us a glimpse into the world around us. That is your greatest legacy and it is one that makes a lasting impact on every person who crosses your path. It’s now up to us to keep on fighting battles for animals, as they can’t speak for themselves. And I promise you, it’s down to you that we’ll keep it all going.

  Amanda French is a Queensland-based media and communications specialist across various wildlife causes. Amanda has worked both in the field and remotely in developing campaigns and providing support to domestic and international wildlife projects such as Bona the Sumatran elephant in Indonesia and Australian not-for-profit organisations Free the Bears Fund and Quoin Island Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Centre.

  Amanda also works with Australian naturalist Bob Irwin to provide support to many Australian wildlife organisations through Bob’s public advocacy. Together they have clocked up more than 20,000 kilometres on the road to tell their stories and inspire others.

  Amanda’s work within the wildlife arena was told on ABC’s Australian Story in March 2013.