Crikey !!! The Crocodile Hunter is Gone !!!??

As a child I spent endless hours swimming under water in the backyard swimming pool we were fortunate to have had ... I imagined myself one of the crew of the Calypso, the exploration ship captianed by legendary Jacques Cousteau.

I devoured every tv special, every book, every magazine article that bore the Cousteau name ... I learned how to "fall" off the diving board like a real Cousteau diver, I even learned to talk with a French accent ... never wore the little red cap though - Mom wouldn't let me ...

The world became filled with wondrous place, exotic creatures and a diversity that was incredible to behold. Life was a place of wonder.

Now that Jacques is gone, and his surviving son Jean-Micheal has become a dignified old man (who didn't weep when Phillipe died??) I wondered who would capture my childrens' imaginations like Jacques Cousteau and the crew of the Calypso captured mine ??

Then one day on the TV screen popped Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter ... "Crikey !!" With is Aussie accent and his obvious insane enthusiasm for the wild life of that mysterious continent, he captured the imagination not only of my children, but big children like me who are still awed by the mystery and grandeur of the world around us.

He was human. He made mistakes (we'll not talk of the incident with his baby). He was funny. He cared about the world and the people and the animals in it ... He was delightful to watch and listen to ... How could you not be filled with awe and wonder seeing the world through his eyes??

And now today, news has come that The Crocodile Hunter is dead ... killed doing what he did best - teaching us about the wonderful and sometimes dangerous creatures which we share the world with ...

It's so sad ... It's a bad day ... but like Cousteau before him, Irwin filled the world with enthusiasm, wonder and a sense of awe as we discovered more about the world around us ... Thanks Steve - you'll be missed ... but Crikey!! you won't soo be forgotten !!

Thoughts and prayers for our friends in Australia ... thoughts and prayers for Steve's family and friends ... and thoughts and prayers for all of us KIDS who were fans ...