From AOL

 

"Crocodile Hunter'' Steve Irwin's tearful wife has thanked the staff at their wildlife park as she considers whether to accept the offer of a state funeral.

 

Terri Irwin spoke over the internal public address system at Australia Zoo, the crocodile farm and animal preserve that was the global television personality's home base in south-eastern Queensland state, thanking staff for their support, spokesman Michael Hornby said.

 

"It was very brief. She was very choked up. It was a very frail comment,'' Hornby said. "But she wanted to say to the staff how grateful she was for their support and how much it meant to her.''

 

Contents of the address were not made public, and park chiefs said the family was keeping a low profile while absorbing the shock of Irwin's death on Monday, minutes after the barb from a stingray's tail pierced his chest while he snorkelled on the Great Barrier Reef.

 

Terri Irwin was considering a government offer for a state funeral to be held for Irwin, who was beloved by millions as the larger-than-life host of Discovery Channel's The Crocodile Hunter television show.

 

She was also considering whether to have a smaller, private ceremony at an Outback location, and give permission for a large public event at a stadium in the state capital, Brisbane, Hornby said.

 

Prime minister John Howard has said a large public memorial would be fitting, but only if the family agreed.

 

Irwin's body has been returned home from the north-eastern city of Cairns. Terri Irwin and their two children, Bindi, eight, and Bob, two, arrived in Beerwah earlier from a holiday.

 

The family needed time to gather their thoughts before deciding on funeral arrangements, said long-time friend and manager John Stainton.

 

"Take it a day at a time, that's all we can do,'' Stainton said.

 

Hundreds of bouquets and handwritten notes have been placed at an ad hoc shrine to the popular 44-year-old naturalist outside the park and other tributes flowed in from Canberra to Hollywood and in streams of good wishes to media and Irwin-related Internet web sites.

 

Stainton said Irwin's last moments were caught on video and showed him pulling the stingray's poisonous barb from his chest just before he died. Discovery said it would not release the footage.

Edited September 6, 200618 yr by pink_princess01

Over the top in my opinion, he was just a tv presenter so a state funeral just isn't right, if Terry Wogan died or an equally loved British tv presenter would he get a state funeral ? no

It's not as if all he did was present though :mellow:. Ie how he preventen the Ostrayyyaah government from letting rich tourists into the...whereveritwas...to hunt crocodiles for sport etc.

 

And Terry ogan has done nothing except be annoying and resemble a carebear.

He wasn't anything that special. People talk about him more now he's dead.

Well they do about everyone though.

 

Asif anyone would know about like, Che Guevara if it wasn't for all the students trying to be all politcial and cool. Hah.

 

Or ev.

just found this from msn

 

 

"Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin, killed in a freak stingray attack, would not have wanted a state funeral because he was "an ordinary bloke" and wanted to be remembered that way, the TV star's father has said.

 

In the first comments by Irwin's family since the hugely-popular naturalist died on Monday, Bob Irwin thanked his son's many fans for their messages of support.

 

Irwin senior, who moved his family to the fringe of the Outback in the 1970s to open a reptile park that inspired his young son's obsession with wildlife, said he was deeply saddened but said his son died doing what he loved.

 

"There were many things that could have gone wrong," Irwin said in a news conference that was broadcast live across Australia. "Steve knew the risks (of what) he was doing, and he wouldn't have wanted it any other way."

 

Irwin's widow, meanwhile, thanked staff at his wildlife park in her first comments on his death. Terri Irwin spoke over the internal public address system at Australia Zoo, the crocodile farm and animal preserve that was the global television personality's home base in south-eastern Queensland state, thanking staff for their support, spokesman Michael Hornby said.

 

"It was very brief. She was very choked up. It was a very frail comment," Hornby said. "But she wanted to say to the staff how grateful she was for their support and how much it meant to her."

 

Contents of the address were not made public, and park chiefs said the family was keeping a low profile while absorbing the shock of Irwin's death, minutes after the barb from a stingray's tail pierced his chest while he snorkelled on the Great Barrier Reef.

 

Prime minister John Howard has said a large public memorial would be fitting, but only if the family agreed.

 

Irwin's body was returned home on Tuesday from the north-eastern city of Cairns. Terri Irwin and their two children, Bindi, eight, and Bob, two, arrived in Beerwah early from a holiday.

 

Hundreds of bouquets and hand-written notes have been placed at an ad hoc shrine to the popular 44-year-old naturalist outside the park and other tributes flowed in from Canberra to Hollywood and in streams of good wishes to media and Irwin-related internet websites.

 

 

But he is one of australia's few huge celebs.. i think the same would be done if kylie minogue or delta goodrem died, australia don't have a sort of royal family to mourn..so the celebs that make and impact on the country will want to be mourned in a public way by the australian people.

Thankfullly the family had the sense to decline a 'state funeral'.

Would of been a bad move IMO.

Thankfullly the family had the sense to decline a 'state funeral'.

Would of been a bad move IMO.

I hope they do some sort of memorial that can be shown on the tv..do you think they may do this instead of the state funeral?