Australian naturalist and animal-lover Steve Irwin has died after being struck in the chest by a stingray's barb.
He'll be missed.
National park could honour Irwin: Beattie
The Queensland Premier, Peter Beattie, says Steve Irwin could be honoured by having a national park named after him.
News of the Crocodile Hunter's death from a stringray barb to the chest yesterday has shocked the Australian and international community.
Mr Beattie, in the final week of his election campaign, said the State Government was in talks with Mr Irwin's family about possible ways to honour him.
"We will make sure there is some form of national recognition," Mr Beattie told reporters.
"We want to make certain that ... there's a fitting long-term tribute to Steve Irwin and it may well be we can do all sorts of things like name a national park, we could have particular awards, all sorts of things.
"But I would like to talk that through with the family first and that's what we will do."
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/national-park-could-honour-irwin-beattie/2006/09/05/1157222119174.html
Irwin's family rejects state funeral offer
Father of 'Crocodile Hunter' Steve Irwin would not have wanted a state funeral because he was "an ordinary bloke" and wanted to be remembered that way.The hugely popular naturalist died in a freak stingray attack on Monday. In the first comments by his family since his death, Bob Irwin thanked his son's many fans for their messages of support.Bob Irwin, who moved his family to the fringe of the Outback in the 1970s to open a reptile park that inspired his young son's obsession with wildlife, said he was deeply saddened by his son's death but that he died doing what he loved."There were many things that could have gone wrong," Irwin said in a news conference that was broadcast live across Australia.Steve knew the risks (of what) he was doing, and he wouldn't have wanted it any other way, added his father. (AP)
http://www.ndtv.com/morenews/showmorestory.asp?slug=Irwin's+family+rejects+state+funeral+offer&id=92762
