The Australian adventurer and film maker, Steve Irwin, killed by a stingray a week ago, has been buried in the grounds of his zoo after a private funeral. His family plan to hold a public memorial next week.
Irwin, 44, was laid to rest at the zoo, near Brisbane on Saturday night in an intimate evening ceremony when family and close friends gathered around a camp fire to share their memories.
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His father, Bob, said: “Because Steve loved the bush so much and yarning around the campfire, the service was held just like he would have wanted, with everyone telling their favourite stories around a candlelit fire.
“It was what he would have wanted and it has brought some family closure to his life,” said Mr Irwin.
The family had declined the offer of a state funeral, saying Irwin considered himself an ordinary man and would not have wanted an elaborate and very public funeral.
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But Irwin’s widow, Terri, 42, and his children Bindi, 8, and Bob, 2, are expected to host a public memorial at a Brisbane stadium next week. Thousands of people are expected to attend, reflecting an extraordinary outpouring of emotion for Irwin and his family in Australia.
A sea of flowers now covers the outside of Irwin’s Australia Zoo in Brisbane where hundreds of people have come to offer their condolences.
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Steve Irwin’s close friend and colleague at the zoo, Wes Mannion, said the family wanted to make the memorial service exciting and fun to reflect Irwin’s approach to life.
His manager, Mr John Stainton, said: “We envisage it to be a celebration of his life, not a sad funeral. Steve would not have wanted everyone standing around saying how sad it was. We will entertain people but let them remember him in the right way.”
He said Irwin’s family was overcome by the reaction nationally and internationally to his death. He said the website for the zoo had had ten million hits in the last week.
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“There has been such an outpouring of grief around the world, we want to give something back to the public. The family want to give as much as they can,” said Mr Stainton.
Mr Mannion, who said Irwin once saved his life at the zoo by rescuing him from a crocodile attack, described his friend as irreplaceable .
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“I don’t think you can ever fill that void. It was just a horrible thing. We are all chipping in and doing the best we can,” said Mr Mannion.
Earlier this week, Irwin’s colleagues returned to the far North Queensland coast where he died in order to complete the filming of the documentary, Ocean’s Deadliest Creatures, which Irwin was making when the stingray attacked, driving its barb into his heart.
Mr Stainton has said a film of the attack, recorded by Irwin’s crew, should never be shown.