REMEMBER WHEN

GOLD COAST BULLETIN Thursday, September 7, 2006

STEVE Irwin’s widow Terri and kids Bindi and Bob were shattered by the death of a husband and father who was the light of their life and charmed the world.

They did it tough in handling Irwin’s tragic death – a fact confirmed by Irwin’s grieving father Bob, close mate John Stainton and Wildlife Warriors head Michael Hornby.

Bob Irwin drew on vast reserves of inner strength and dignity to front a press conference at the family’s Australia Zoo at Beerwah to talk about his close bond with his son – who died when a stingray barb pierced his heart – and to field questions about how American-born Terri and the children were coping.

“Terri’s holding up very well, considering. She’s extremely concerned for her children, Bindi and Robert obviously,” he said.

‘”That’s the reason I ask the media to please give them a little bit of a break for the children’s sake.”

Mr Irwin thanked the thousands who had expressed condolences over the death of his son.

“This is the first media interview that I have ever given and it’s not something that I enjoy but I owe it to Steve and I also owe it to Terri and the children,” he said.

“All I can do is thank them (the public) sincerely for their thoughts and their wishes.”

Irwin’s close mate and longtime manager John Stainton had earlier told CNN talk show host Larry King how Irwin’s tragic death had devastated the Crocodile Hunter’s wife and family.

Asked in an emotional interview beamed around the world how Terri was coping, a weeping Stainton replied: “A lot worse than me.”