'He mesmerised me': Remembering Steve Irwin 20 years after shock death

Steve Irwin still in hearts and minds 20 years after shock death Becoming best mates with the Crocodile Hunter left Wes Mannion with permanent scars, but not a single regret. There was that time when a cranky crocodile called Graham tore chunks off his leg and backside while the pair was securing an enclosure during a flood at Australia Zoo, on Queensland's Sunshine Coast. Mr Mannion was even mauled by the man himself once, who was an avid fan and practitioner of Brazilian jiujitsu and built a training cage at the zoo so they could practice during their breaks. "I've still got a busted rib from him. I got him in a triangle choke and he just got his elbow, put it in my chest, picked me up — because he's strong as an ox — and drove his elbow in," Mr Mannion chuckled. "Every day I get up I stretch and I'm like, 'Oh, bloody Steve!' … but he was like my brother, my best friend, my mentor and my boss all rolled into one." Mr Mannion met Steve Irwin when he visited the then-named Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park in the mid-1980s. As a 14-year-old he was captivated, like millions of fans would become in later years. "He was jumping an alligator and I was just like, 'This guy's my hero!' … and we hit it off, too," Mr Mannion said. "You had to keep up with him. Most people couldn't keep up with him, but if you could do it, it was the ride of your life." From zookeeper to celebrity Friend, producer and director John Stainton first encountered Steve Irwin on a shoot for a beer commercial, where the young zookeeper had to snatch a can from a crocodile's jaws. He offered to send Mr Stainton some home videos he had taken around the zoo. "It was midnight and I put one of the tapes into the television and I watched it from 12 o'clock till 3am. He mesmerised me," the director said. "When I got to the end of it, I just rewound that one and played it again … it was the most amazing television I'd ever seen in my life." That was the beginning of The Crocodile Hunter television series which propelled Steve onto the international stage. Bob Blasdall edited all five seasons, along with Steve Irwin's documentaries including his final film, Ocean's Deadliest. "The first time I'd ever seen footage of Steve it just blew me away," Mr Blasdall said. "Here is this character who sucked you through the lens and plonked you in his lap and, like a Barbie doll, took you on the journey with him." The editor's life also took a wild turn while working with the khaki-clad conservationist, which even saw him wind up on the back of an agitated crocodile during a shoot. "Steve screamed out, 'Bob, jump on its bloody tail!' So I jumped on it; it's lifted its back legs and started to thrash its tail. I'm going up in the air a metre, side to side a metre-and-a-half, I'm hanging on for dear life," Mr Blasdall said. "God bless you, Steve. It really was the highlight of my life." A tragic accident Mr Stainton remembers waking up one morning in January 2006 with a horrible feeling that it was going to be his last year. The feeling was so strong, he called his lawyer to do up a will and underwent numerous medical tests. "Everyone thought I was a bit nutty. It never dawned on me that it was Steve,"Mr Stainton said. As filming for The Ocean's Deadliest documentary drew closer, the feeling grew. "I actually contacted Discovery [Channel] and asked if we could postpone or cancel the shoot but they said everything's been committed," Mr Stainton said. About 11am on September 4, 2006, Steve Irwin was fatally stabbed by a stingray while snorkelling in shallow water at Batt Reef, off Port Douglas. It is believed the marine creature might have mistook his shadow for a shark, lashing out to protect itself. The film crew tried frantically to save the star's life, but the barb on the stingray's tail had pierced his heart. Mr Stainton was on the boat that dreadful day and also had the gut-wrenching task of delivering the news to the conservationist's wife and love of his life, Terri Irwin. "It's a day that you can't ever think about without crying … the saddest time of my life," he said. Everyone remembers that day News of The Crocodile Hunter's death sent shock waves around the world, and was deeply felt by residents in his home town. Sunshine Coast Mayor Rosanna Natoli was working as a local television news journalist at the time. "I think everyone remembers where they were when they heard the news, and it was just impossible to believe," Cr Natoli said. "He was such an incredible life force." An estimated 300 million television viewers tuned in to watch the memorial service held at Australia Zoo's Crocoseum on September 20, 2006. Steve's father, Bob Irwin, told the crowd, "The animals have lost the best friend they ever had — and so have I." An eight-year-old Bindi Irwin also bravely took to the stage to deliver an eloquent tribute. "My daddy was my hero. He was always there for me when I needed him. He listened to me and taught me so many things, but most of all he was fun," she said. "I don't want daddy's passion ever to end. I want to help endangered wildlife just like he did." Wildlife warriors Australia Zoo now attracts about 700,000 visitors a year, with Terri, Bindi and Robert still heavily involved in its operations. The Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve covers 180,000 hectares of precious habitats across Queensland. The Irwins recently embarked on their annual trip to the reserve in Far North Queensland to carry out research on saltwater crocodiles. They were contacted ahead of the anniversary, but a spokesperson said they were not available for an interview due to their conservation commitments. Like their parents, the Irwin children are hugely popular in the US, with both winning the American series Dancing with the Stars 10 years apart. Robert Irwin recently hosted the Logies, and could not resist the chance to bring out a few scaly friends just like his father did at the 2003 awards show. "That was actually the year I was born," he told the crowd. "And I've been very proud to follow in his footsteps ever since." Mr Mannion stood down from his role as director of Australia Zoo in 2020 so he could spend more time with his own children, after helping guide Bindi and Robert in the years following their father's death. "I was lucky enough to teach Robert to feed crocodiles and Bindi to feed crocodiles and catch snakes and so on, so it's great being able to hand down what he taught me," he said. He has no doubt his best mate would be "super proud". "For the youth they are now I mean what more could you want? They're gregarious, they're lovely, they're passionate, successful and they're happy. "As a father, your dream is to see your kids happy … for him to see them now he would be just like, 'Job done, tick.'"