The Last Crocodile Hunter
Reviewed By Janet Mawdesley December 15, 2016
Author Bob Irwin and Amanda French
Distributor: Allen & Unwin
ISBN: 9781760292379
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Release Date: November 2016
Website: http:/www.allenandunwin.com
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Bob Irwin has faced death on several occasions; the first as a young plumber when the deep hole he was digging collapsed on top of him, burying him 14 feet down a shaft he had been digging; the second time was when his beloved wife Lyn was killed in a car accident; the third time was when his son and best mate Steve was killed in a freak diving accident on 4 September 2006.
Life had changed for this wiry Australian many times, but when he was dealt this double blow he doubted his ability to cope with life at all, descending into black despair. After having only recently accepted his wife’s passing and then to lose his son in such a tragic accident, seemed to be more than one man could bear.
But life had other ideas and as the years have passed he has healed, met and married another remarkable woman, Judy, faced down the drama and the relentless nature of the Australian and World Press agencies as the world of the Irwin family and their Conservation Trust, Australian Zoo came under the spotlight.
Now in his later years he has found peace doing what he has always loved doing, working with, understanding and relating to the many Australian animals, birds and insects that go to make up the Australian bush. He has also, for the first time agreed to tell many of the stories behind the institution that is now one of Australia’s leading wildlife conservation agencies Australian Zoo, how it came about, how the family worked tirelessly to create what was then, a simple little wildlife park on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland.
He also offers another very personal perspective on the loveable larrikin of Wildlife Conservation Steve Irwin, (1962 – 2006), a man who was always larger than life itself, became known for his uncanny ability to relate to a host of rather unpredictable wildlife, his absolute love and understanding of crocodiles, and his passion, his immense drive, when it came to educating and campaigning worldwide on endangered spices and their decreasing natural environment.
Funny, moving and entertaining, Amanda French has managed to capture the very essence of the man who has faced life head on and somehow, often against great odds, managed to succeed, all the while still doing what he has always loved to do, protect wildlife and to carry on the legacy left by his son, that of educating people about wildlife and by doing so, raising awareness and understanding of why protection and preservation is so very necessary in today’s world.