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STEVE Irwin’s widow Terri still feels like the “Crocodile Hunter” is with her.
And she has revealed how proud he would be that their two children are carrying on his legacy with wildlife – even wrangling the same crocs he did.
Steve – known for his largerthan-life personality and “Crikey!” catchphrase – died 12 years ago after being stabbed through the heart by a stingray.
But Terri has kept his memory alive for their kids, Bindi, now 20, and 14-year-old Robert, who always accompanied Steve on trips for his shows.
The family have filmed a new documentary series about their Australia Zoo home in Queensland.
Terri says: “When I got back to Australia Zoo after Steve’s accident, the team said to me: ‘How do we handle things from here? Do we still recognise Steve? Are we going to be quiet about him?’
“I thought about it and said: ‘I think we should just carry on as if he’s still here’.
“And for us that’s really worked.
“People visit and say it feels like he’s still here. And Bindi and Robert have so much of their life with Steve on film, that if memories start to fade, you just push rewind and watch it again.
Treasure
“Robert was only two when Steve died so you think there’s not much he will remember.
“But we’ll watch a documentary and he’ll say something about what happened that wasn’t filmed. It triggers things.
“Don’t be afraid of filming and photographing your adventures together because those are your memories that you should treasure.”
American-born Terri and Steve met in Australia in 1991, fell in love straight away and were married the next year.
Since his death, Terri hasn’t had a single date with anyone else.
Instead she has focused on continuing his work with his Wildlife Warriors charity and educating people about conservation.
“I remember when Steve and I got married and I thought: ‘Wow, it feels like this is why I’m on Earth, to join Steve and protect wildlife’,” says Terri, 54.
“Then when he died it felt so bizarre to be at the helm, kind of terrifying and overwhelming.
“Now after 12 years of doing my level best to uphold everything he began, I think maybe this is why I’m here, to carry on his work.
“It’s something I’ll do until my last breath.”
Robert and Bindi, who spoke at Steve’s memorial aged just eight, are also part of the family business and Terri knows Steve would be thrilled about that.
“He would be stoked,” she says. “He really hoped Bindi and Robert would be passionate about wildlife and they’ve really stepped up. They’re great kids who want to honour their dad.
“Steve was a very hands-on, exciting, wonderful dad, and we were one big happy family.
“I’m very proud of him for being such a great dad to take Bindi and Robert with us for all of our filming.”
One of Steve’s favourite crocs even makes an appearance with Robert on the new show.
Terri says: “You’ll see Graham the crocodile that back in 1991 grabbed Steve on the hand, almost killed his best mate Wes, and now Robert is in with Graham. We’re just hoping three’s not a charm!”
Terri reckons Steve would have been shocked by the worldwide response to his death.
“I don’t think anyone would have been more surprised about the response to losing
Steve than Steve himself,” she says.
Terri continues:
“He was never bigheaded, he never thought he was a big deal and I appreciated that humble spirit right through his whole life.
“For him it was all about the wildlife.
“It was an impossibly challenging time, but there was such a sense of respect. And people are still saying it – ‘I’m so sorry about Steve’. Thank you.”
The new show, Crikey! It’s The Irwins, follows the family as they care for their zoo animals.
During the series they also rescue injured creatures including koalas, sea turtles and kangaroos.
“You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, it’s fantastic,” says Terri.
“Our lives behind the scenes at Australia Zoo are just 24/7 wildlife. We have 1,200 animals, 443 staff, nearly 1,000 acres of land and we do all of this great work.
“We take in around 7,000 animals every year and the rescue unit is always off doing something dramatic like getting a venomous snake out of someone’s backyard. “Our research work takes us to different conservation properties and we have projects around the world, so you’ll join us from the Great Barrier Reef to Africa.
“It’s the most hands-on wildlife work anywhere and it’s down to Steve for starting that.”
Terri is also certain about Steve’s legacy. “Bindi and Robert are his greatest accomplishments!” she says.
“And also the fact he could get a message to many people who might not watch wildlife documentaries.
“He really wanted to reach people who might ordinarily watch football or a cooking show.
“Protecting our beautiful planet is everyone’s responsibility.”
Crikey! It’s The Irwins premieres on Animal Planet on October 28 at 8pm.