Hinterland Grapevine - 'He was like my big brother. He was my hero'

A grim-faced Wes Mannion fought back tears as he told reporters this week of his respect and admiration for his best mate, Steve Irwin. The Director of Australia Zoo told how the Crocodile Hunter saved his life, and changed his world through kindness, respect and mateship.

Question. Steve saved your life at one point. Can you tell us a little bit more about that?

Steve Irwin often spoke of Australia Zoo Director Wes Mannion as his best mate. Wes told the media what that was like.

Wes Mannion: He has done it on numerous occasions actually.   But we were caught here in a bit of a flood one day and we were cleaning out a fence line.   Graham the Crocodile, a good mate of both of ours, got a hold of me. I won’t go through the whole story but he ended up just about to grab me.

Steve grabbed a hold of the tail and the back leg of the croc and he swung around to grab Steve. And that enabled me to get out of the pond.   After that we were just jumping for joy. It wasn’t Graham’s fault but it was just awesome.   We have always been close but that just brought us even closer.   We both got over the fence and he said “give me a look at you” and I was OK and he said “let’s go”.   He asked me if I wanted him to carry me and I said “No, you’re not carrying me”.

Q. How did you form your relationship with Steve in the beginning?   How did it all start?

Wes: I was into reptiles when I was young but when I was 14 I came to Australia Zoo, it was called the Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park back then. When I first walked in the door Steve and Bob were catching a 9 ½ foot alligator so I just sat there on the fence just going “wow”!   These guys were just amazing. Then they couldn’t get rid of me.   I wouldn’t leave. And from that day on we just both loved the same thing.   He loved wildlife more than anything in life except his kids and his wife.   We just talked about wildlife, that’s all we did.   Nothing else really.

Q. Do you have a particular memory other than him saving your life, something that really sticks out in your memory?

Wes: I have a million of them.   We did so much great stuff together and so much exciting stuff together.

The Graham one really sticks out because it was do or die.   There is a lot of stuff, not only with wildlife, but with his family that I will never forget. He was an incredible Dad.   No one knows what an amazing Dad he was.   So that is probably some of the stuff that is going to stick in my memory the most.

Q. When was the last time you spoke to Steve?

Wes: I spoke to him about four weeks ago.   He was just getting ready to go on a trip croc catching. I’ve been catching crocs with him since I was a young bloke and I had to stay back and look after the Zoo.

Q. Would you explain how a good a father he was.

Wes: It is just a horrible loss, but as good a Dad as Steve was Terri is a fantastic Mum and they are all working together. Bindi is just an incredible, incredible girl so between them and all of the family we are all chipping in and doing the best we can.

“He was like my big brother. He was my hero”

Q. Sometime down the track will you show Steve’s kids those sorts of adventures you shared with Steve?

Wes. It is their life and it has always been their life for someone to jump on a crocodile for them or be a wildlife warrior is a natural thing.   It is as natural as anything. So that is never going to end.    The Zoo is something that Steve created, it was his passion, it was what he believed in, he wanted to grab people personally, not only on television, but in person and that is what the Zoo does and that is where they have been bought up, they were born here, they love the place.   Everyone that works here has that same passion.   We’ve got a bit Steve in us.    There is nothing we can do about that; it’s there forever.

Q. The private service entailed sitting around having a yarn, what exactly what will the public memorial service entail?

Wes. We’ve thought about a lot of things, but most importantly it has to be a get together and just saying what a fantastic life he had and how many people’s lives he has changed throughout the world and that is where it has got to be.   It’s got to be an exciting and fun thing because that is the sort of man he was.   He was just a hundred miles an hour and just loved everyone, loved wildlife, and loved being excited.   He was passionate.

Q. Will it have any religious overtones?

Wes. I’m not sure about that. That is something we have to work out in time.   We are just playing one day at a time at the moment.

Q. Where were you when you found out what happened to Steve?

Wes. I was heading back from looking at some plants we were going to plant in the new Elephant exhibit that we’re working on.   I was actually trying to get the plants in before Stevie got back because I knew he would really like it.   John rang me and….(he was too emotional to finish the answer).

Q. All the phone calls you made there were obviously 2 or 3 that were very difficult.

John Stainton: Wes was the second call I made. I had to make one call to find Terri and that was a really hard problem because she was travelling and in transit because I knew we couldn’t announce anything until Terri could be told and we didn’t want her to see it with the children on the news in Tasmania and my second call was to Wes and that was probably the hardest call of all.

Q. Will Terri be involved at the public memorial?

John Stainton: Yes. We envisage it to be a celebration of his life and not a sad funeral.   Steve would not have wanted us to have everyone around. you know, crying and saying how sad it was.   We want really everyone to come along and enjoy what his life was about.   He spent the last 15 years making great television shows and entertaining people.   That’s what it’s going to be.   To entertain people, but let them remember him in the right way.

Q. At some time down the track will fans of Steve ever be able to visit his final resting place?

John Stainton: That is a family decision.   I don’t think we really want to talk about that yet.   There possibly will be something down the track but not at this point.

Q. You have a really close association with some entertainers and performers. Have they contacted you in terms of performing at the memorial service?

John Stainton: We’ve had an amazing response from people that knew Steve wanting to help.   The logistics of getting people from America for example might be a bit tricky but we are going to put through a balanced sort of a memorial service that he would have enjoyed.   That’s all we want to do.   We are not putting together a show or a television event or anything at all, it’s really what Steve would have liked happening for him.

Q. Is Terri likely to make any sort of public appearance before the memorial service?

John Stainton: We are not planning it.   We are thinking that with another week away yet, it will hopefully give her the strength and the courage for the kids to come out in the public arena because it’s going to be a very hard service for her.

Q. It must be very hard to grieve in public?

John Stainton: I think for anyone it is a hard thing.   I mean anyone of us is touched by this.   We have to keep going.   The fact that there has been such an outpouring of grief around the world, you would have to give people that same thing back again, that respect back.   That’s why we come out and talk and give as much information as we can because we know people are hanging on everything that happens to the family and they want to give as much as they can.   As hard as it is for Wes to come out here today it’s a very difficult decision I know.   Bob has been an amazing man.   All of his life4 he has shied away from media.   I can remember probably 10 years ago saying to Bob we wanted to put him on camera to do a story on Steve’s life and I had to prise everything out of him.   It probably took us about 5 or 6 hours to do a 10 minute piece.   I want to help Steve in any way I can and Bob has been a tower of strength to the family now, which is terrific.

Q. (To Wes) Do you think there will be an expectation for you to step up and fill the void where Steve’s left and become the new croc hunter?

Wes.   No I don’t think you can ever fill that void. Steve was Steve and I certainly never will be. I still have a piece of him.   I can certainly offer that and I knew what his passion was for the Zoo and where he wanted to go in the future was all we talked about, but no I won’t be Steve.   No one can be.

Q. How will you remember Steve?

Wes. I will remember Steve as my best mate and someone who gave me so much love and affection ever since I was a kid. He was like my big brother.   He was my hero.

Family holds private camp fire
service for crocodile hunter

ON Monday John Stainton, Bob Irwin and Steve’s best mate and Director of Australia Zoo, Wes Mannion discussed the private arrangements for Steve being laid to rest last Saturday afternoon. They also gave details about their love for Steve and plans for the proposed public memorial.

“On Saturday afternoon the 9th September, a private service was held in the grounds of Australia Zoo to put my best mate Steve to rest,” said Wes. “It was attended by all of the Irwin family, Terri’s family from America and some of Steve’s closest friends and workmates.

“Because Steve loved the bush so much and yarning around the camp fire, the service was held just like he would have wanted with everyone telling their favourite stories about him around a candle lit fire” said Bob Irwin. “ It was what he would have wanted and it now puts some family closure to his life.

“Because the family really appreciates the massive outpouring of love and kindness from everyone — we received ten million hits on the Australia Zoo website — we are planning to have a public memorial next Tuesday or Wednesday at somewhere like Suncorp Stadium,’’ said Wes. “The finalizing of this venue will only take place after the Queensland Police have assessed the suitability of all possible sites. We will keep you updated over the next day or so as to the exact day and time.’’

Steve Irwin Memorial Service at Crocoseum on Wednesday 9am

STEVE Irwin’s father Bob yesterday made an announcement on behalf of Terri Irwin about her wishes for

Bob Irwin, pictured, read a statement to the media on behalf of Terri

Steve’s memorial service.   It will be held at the Crocoseum at Australia Zoo on Wednesday, September 20 at 9am.

Mr Irwin read Terri’s message to the media as follows: “Firstly I would like to offer my personal condolences to Peter Brock’s family in what must be their saddest hour.    I would also like to thank everyone for the overwhelming outpouring of love, support and prayers for my family.

“I believe over the past couple of days that plans for Steve’s memorial service have suggested venues in Brisbane such as [Suncorp] Stadium, the Entertainment Centre, the ANZ Stadium and other such large facilities. “However, it is my wish that the memorial service be held here in the Crocoseum at Australia Zoo, which is where Steve would have wanted it to be.

“I realise that the Crocoseum has a limited capacity of only 5500 people and that it will pose an enormous traffic and access problem for police and security - but I can not see how a memorial service for Steve would work in any other place other than the Crocoseum, which he built here at the zoo and of which he was so proud.   “I would therefore ask that everyone please bear with me in this wish and help me to make this happen.

“I understand there could be potentially many thousands of people who may wish to attend the service, but who will now not be able to attend at Australia Zoo - and I hope that with the help of the Queensland State G o v e r n m e n t , Caloundra City Council and the Brisbane City Council we will be able to supply large screens at various venues around the city so that people will be able to gather and pay their last respects to my soul mate and our wildlife warrior. “Thank you.” John Williamson will be performing at the service at 9am on Wednesday, September 20. Tickets will be available through Ticketek.

The date for the release of the tickets is yet to be confirmed.

Last Updated ( Sunday, 17 September 2006 )

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