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Irwin family offered state funeral (Australia Honours the Crocodile Hunter)
The Australian ^ | 9/5/2006 | n/a

Posted on 09/04/2006 7:19:21 PM PDT by Pyro7480

Irwin family offered state funeral

STEVE Irwin will get a state funeral if that's what his family wants, Queensland Premier Peter Beattie says.

The 44-year-old media personality and environmentalist died yesterday when a stingray barb punctured his heart while he was filming a nature documentary off the coast of Port Douglas in north Queensland....

Asked if his government would honour Irwin with a state funeral, Mr Beattie replied: "We will honour Steve Irwin in whatever way his family wants."

But first it was important to let his wife Terry and two young children, who recently returned to Queensland from Tasmania, deal with the tragedy, he said.

"Our first thoughts have to be with Terry and the children and I don't want to say or do anything that will make their grief worse because they are a wonderful family," Mr Beattie said....

(Excerpt) Read more at theaustralian.news.com.au ...


TOPICS: Australia/New Zealand; Culture/Society; Extended News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: australia; crikey; croc; crocodile; dang; hunter; irwin; statefuneral; steveirwin
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To: Fred Nerks; Aussie Dasher

You know, I just looked at the list on Aussie FReepers, and I never realized that there that many on here. It's great to have people from another country so "gung ho" over our politics!


41 posted on 09/04/2006 8:19:49 PM PDT by Pyro7480 ("Love is the fusion of two souls in one in order to bring about mutual perfection." -S. Terese Andes)
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To: naturalman1975

Asked whether he would consider a career in politics, Mr Irwin said: "Crikey mate no way, I'll stick to crocs, they are far safer."

----

Fair dinkum!


42 posted on 09/04/2006 8:22:41 PM PDT by Fred Nerks (ENEMY + MEDIA = ENEMEDIA)
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To: MAD-AS-HELL

It was bad luck. A Stingray barb will even pierce aluminum, they said today about the only thing it can't pierce is fiberglass.


43 posted on 09/04/2006 8:23:00 PM PDT by Arizona Carolyn
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To: Pyro7480

Decisions made in Washington often affect us as much as, or more than those made in Canberra. And a lot of us are very glad that the US has a leader who takes America's alliance with Australia seriously - it hasn't always been that way.

When, earlier this year, Australia had to move troops into East Timor in a hurry, reportedly Condoleeza Rice immediately phoned our foreign minister and asked what assistance we needed, if any. If so, that is new - the US has assisted us in the past when we have asked, but that type of proactive approach is different.


44 posted on 09/04/2006 8:23:12 PM PDT by naturalman1975 ("America was under attack. Australia was immediately there to help." - John Winston Howard)
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To: Pyro7480

45 posted on 09/04/2006 8:27:47 PM PDT by HarmlessLovableFuzzball
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To: HarmlessLovableFuzzball

OK,
Now I'm really crying. It's so clear how much he loved his family.


46 posted on 09/04/2006 8:29:28 PM PDT by najida (The internet is for kids grown up-- Where else could you have 10,000 imaginary friends?)
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To: NonValueAdded
Yet the Brits are already on record that Lady Thatcher will not get one. [state funeral]

I believe in Britain a State Funeral is reserved for royalty; IIRC the Queen made an exception for Winston Churchill. A rough USA equivalent would be lying in state in the Capitol, having the armed services in the cortege, etc.

47 posted on 09/04/2006 8:32:08 PM PDT by Virginia-American
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To: Pyro7480

Hey...He deserves it far more than Princess Diana. He was a good man and a faithful husband.


48 posted on 09/04/2006 8:38:47 PM PDT by Revel
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To: Virginia-American
I believe in Britain a State Funeral is reserved for royalty

Not quite - a few non-Royals have been granted this honour - including Sir Winston Churchill, as you mention. Other non-royals who have received them are Admiral Lord Nelson, Field Marshal, the Duke of Wellington, Lord Palmerston, William Gladstone, and Field Marshal Lord Roberts. Benjamin Disraeli was offered a state funeral but declined the honour.

And even most members of the Royal Family don't get a state funeral - they get the very similar Royal Ceremonial Funeral, but there are differences. The Monarch is the only person who can actually expect one.

49 posted on 09/04/2006 8:40:43 PM PDT by naturalman1975 ("America was under attack. Australia was immediately there to help." - John Winston Howard)
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To: Revel
Hey...He deserves it far more than Princess Diana. He was a good man and a faithful husband.

Diana, Princess of Wales, did not receive a state funeral.

50 posted on 09/04/2006 8:42:01 PM PDT by naturalman1975 ("America was under attack. Australia was immediately there to help." - John Winston Howard)
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To: nmh
3 or 4 years ago, the Discovery channel aired a documentary done by Steve. It was called the Ghosts of War, and it was about WWII in the Pacific. If I recall correctly, Steve said his father served in WWII and you could tell he was very enthusiastic about the subject. He showed the same passion in this program as he did when filming with his critters. I can't recall the exact island(s) he visited during the program, but I do recall him diving on a wreck offshore. During that filming, he ended up running into a mass of jellyfish and was stung many times. I believe this program was a two-parter and I ended up missing some of it. I had hoped that the Discovery Channel would show it again, but they never did. I've been hoping it would come out on DVD sometime, but as yet it hasn't.

His death has shocked us all and I have been saying prayers for him and his family since hearing about his passing this morning. It's all so very sad.

51 posted on 09/04/2006 8:42:35 PM PDT by mass55th (Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyway~~John Wayne)
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To: mass55th

The Great Barrier Reef is a scary place. The thing I would dread the most there is one of the smallest - the box jellyfish species.


52 posted on 09/04/2006 8:44:08 PM PDT by Pyro7480 ("Love is the fusion of two souls in one in order to bring about mutual perfection." -S. Terese Andes)
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To: Pyro7480; All

How sad.

While a bit crazy, he seemed like a good person.

I find it ironic that a stingray, which people swim with safely in the Bahamas because they have gotten used to people there, ended up being his killer, not a crocodile.

It is frankly dumb luck that a stingray barb hit his heart...they would not normally be fatal or cause serious injury.

He will be missed, that is for sure.


53 posted on 09/04/2006 8:45:39 PM PDT by rwfromkansas (http://xanga.com/rwfromkansas)
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To: Pyro7480
You are right to be scared - anything that is willing to attack a nuclear aircraft carrier deserves our respect: Mighty warship feels the sting
54 posted on 09/04/2006 8:46:34 PM PDT by naturalman1975 ("America was under attack. Australia was immediately there to help." - John Winston Howard)
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To: Pyro7480

Teddy Roosevelt would have really liked Steve Irwin.. A good soul, why do they leave us so soon.. Prayers for his family.


55 posted on 09/04/2006 8:47:47 PM PDT by SeaBiscuit (God Bless America and All who protect and preserve this Great Nation.)
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To: MAD-AS-HELL

Stingrays really aren't that dangerous (frick, people have them as PETS...just do a google search)...this was a freak incident in which the stinger hit his heart.

A sad one, that is for sure.


56 posted on 09/04/2006 8:49:02 PM PDT by rwfromkansas (http://xanga.com/rwfromkansas)
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To: MAD-AS-HELL

My husband, who was a professional fisherman and knows ALOT about this kind of thing says the odds are a million to one to be killed like this...just a totally freakish thing to puncture the heart. In fact, when I told hubby it was a stingray, the first thing he said was that it must have punctured his heart, because although a stingray bite would make you WISH you were dead, it won't kill you. RIP, Mr. Irwin.


57 posted on 09/04/2006 8:49:18 PM PDT by Hildy
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To: naturalman1975

That pic you posted was of the Irukandji. I saw a Discovery Channel special and an American marine wildlife specialist and an Austrialian counterpart intentionally subjected themselved that species. It was painful just watching them. The Aussie suffered for two weeks. Poor girl


58 posted on 09/04/2006 8:49:19 PM PDT by Pyro7480 ("Love is the fusion of two souls in one in order to bring about mutual perfection." -S. Terese Andes)
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To: Pyro7480
STEVE Irwin will get a state funeral if that's what his family wants, Queensland Premier Peter Beattie says.

How truly nice.

59 posted on 09/04/2006 8:51:14 PM PDT by onyx (1 Billion Muslims -- "if" 10% are fundamentalists, that's still 100 Million who want to kill us.)
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To: Arizona Carolyn

God decided to take him for whatever reason at this time, though I don't know. Maybe something good will come out of this. People will realize the importance of taking care of our oceans or something.


60 posted on 09/04/2006 8:52:57 PM PDT by rwfromkansas (http://xanga.com/rwfromkansas)
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