Good Weekend: The business of being Bindi Irwin
Update: Full quotes and scans added.
Originally posted August 19th: Good Weekend reporter, Jane Cadzow, describes Bindi Irwin, 9, as the ‘image of her father,’ the late Steve ‘The Crocodile Hunter’ Irwin. Bindi, provided a rare and intimate look into her life when she spoke to GW about life without her father, her family and Australia Zoo. When asked if the feeling of attention is overwhelming, Bindi answers not at all and that she ‘loves it.’ A natural in front of the camera and with an amazing personality, Bindi Irwin, is sure to be as successful and wonderful as her late father.
When asked about her family (mom, Terri, 43, and brother, Robert ‘Baby Bob’, 3 1/2), Bindi smiles and professes that she is extremely lucky.
I have the greatest, most perfect family! My mom is the greatest thing that ever happened to me! Same as my dad and my brother. I love them all very much!
At her father’s memorial service, Bindi got up and graced the crowd with an amazing tribute to her father that she wrote herself. Some doubted her acceptance of her father’s passing, when she strongly stood there and didn’t shed a tear as her mother sobbed in the audience. Then a month later, Bindi continued to acknowledge her father’s wonderful contribution to Australia, by presenting for him at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards.
It’s kind of sad that he couldn’t be here, but it’s nice that I could do it.
Source: Good Weekend Magazine, Aug 18th, 2007. p. 24-30.
Continue reading for the rest of the article.
The Irwin’s manager and long time friend of Steve’s, John Stainton says that Bindi is mature for her age and controls her temper.
Most times, kids can be annoying. Tantrums. But she is so even tempered. She doesn’t even get upset.
Bindi says that the loss of her father, whom she claims was her best friend, has only bought her all that much closer to her mother.
Sometimes, when you lose somebody, you get closer to somebody else. Like, I was really close to my dad, and now that he’s passed away, I’m really close to my mom. We’re best friends now. She’s the greatest, funniest…She’s perfect! (Terri is standing by and jokes "I keep telling her that! It’s sinkin’ in.")
Bindi attended preschool for one year and after realizing she wasn’t happy, Terri and Steve hired a tutor and since then Bindi has been home schooled by ‘Miss Emma.’ This doesn’t mean that Bindi has no friends.
She spent a year of not being happy, [so we got a tutor]. With 28 kids in a a class, you don’t learn much. I wouldn’t say Bindi has lots of friends. She has several friends. [She also] appreciates the company of adults.
Bindi says that she knows she is privileged to wake up in such an amazing place every morning — the family spends most of their time living in a modest brick bungalow on the zoo’s grounds.
It’s amazing to wake up and you’ve got muffled sounds of, like, elephants trumpeting and crocodiles snapping and tigers growling. I just love this life so much! I couldn’t stand it if I was in an apartment with a goldfish!
Bindi seems all the more mature than her just nine years when she comes out with ‘your mind can be your worst enemy or your best friend.’ Her explanation;
You can be all sad and never be happy. Like ‘my life is terrible.’ Or you could say, like, ‘oh, my life is great! Look how many things I have! I have the best mom, the greatest brother, I know my dad is still with us, I have a filming career that’s absolutely perfect and I can teach people about wildlife.’ You’ve got to look on the bright side!
Terri says that Bindi has always been a natural with people and an audience and performs at impromptu times.
We’ll be at a playground and she’ll start performing. Parents of children at the playground will gather around and she’ll just perform for them. Here we are in Hyde Park with Bindi performing for passers-by.
Getting Bindi to relax and not run around like a mad girl is the hardest part, says Terri,
We’ve got a real long kitchen, and she’ll be cartwheeling and dancing and I’m afraid she’s going to hit her head or something. I’ll go ‘Will you stop it!’
The article recounts Bindi’s appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, following her father’s death. Bindi said;
I want to try and be him! I feel like I am him! All over!
Terri also adds that Bindi has always had a special connection with animals.
Her intuition is incredible. She will often worry about an animal before Steve [previously] or even I discovered it was sick or injured. This uncanny connection reminds me of the abilities Steve had with wildlife, a strange sixth sense that we refer to as ‘the force’.
Bindi’s recent meeting with the Dalai Lama was also a topic they talked about. Bindi seems to be one of those amazing people who is able to create such distinct relationships and connections with people. With the Dalai Lama,
She wold talk to him about wildlife. She wasn’t uncomfortable or awkward. She was very casual, as if she was meeting an old friend.
Bindi says that the main thing that she wants to do is carry on the work for Australia Zoo and continually promote her father’s work. He is obviously a huge inspiration for her and many other Australians.
When I’m out there singing about animals. I just feel like, ‘This is where I’m going to be! This is me! It’s really, really nice!’
The article refers to two events — here are videos of them both — the first is the memorial service and the second, Steve’s loss of a crocodile named, Mary.
Tags: Australia, Bindi Irwin, Steve Irwin, zoo
- Posted on Aug 20, 07 at 7:26AM
- Permalink
- 16 Comments
August 19th, 2007 at 5:02 pm
*tear* This just made my day. Just when I didn’t think it was possible to love this girl more than I already did. I’m 17 and I wish I had her wisdom, acute perception and passion for life. “Your mind can be your worst enemy or your best friend”? I think my heart is going to burst from swelling up!! She’s ten times more intelligent than most adults I know. I can see why public school didn’t suit her; she’s exceptional, not just for her age but for any age. I dare any pessimist to lay eyes on that sweet little face and continue carrying negativity inside them. Steve is only physically dead. He left his soul on earth.
August 19th, 2007 at 5:39 pm
I love this family. Please check out my new Bindi video, here is the link: http://youtube.com/watch?v=c25Cnc-i5lY
And I also made one about Bob, here it is: http://youtube.com/watch?v=3jUObsxKmIs
I hope you like it! Please leave comment!
August 19th, 2007 at 5:43 pm
Wow – wish everyone had that outlook on life, regardless of age!
August 19th, 2007 at 6:03 pm
I absolutely ADORE this family. I’ve watched the Crocodile Hunter for many years and he was a household name for us! I watched the memorial and Bindi was amazing. I cried right along with poor Terri… He is sorely missed and forever loved. I am so proud of Bindi for carrying his name on and being a walking memorial of him.
August 19th, 2007 at 6:56 pm
This little girl never ceases to amaze me. I can’t imagine any parent who wouldn’t be proud to have a daughter so full of spirit and of LIFE and I know that her father is looking down on her from Heaven right now and I bet he is so incredibly proud of the young woman she is becoming.
I can’t believe it’s been almost a year since his passing… but it seems his daughter has grown more in a years time then many of us do in a lifetime.
I send my prayers to the family as they prepare to go through the first anniversary of his passing…
August 19th, 2007 at 11:18 pm
Wow! Has it really been a year since he passed? Still hurts to think about it. Bindi is blessed to have the mother she has. She was raised strong thanks to both Steve and Terri. I want my 8 year old daughter to look up to Bindi as a wonderful role model. God bless the irwin family.
August 19th, 2007 at 11:34 pm
Wow this child is just amazing! She makes me sound immature!
August 19th, 2007 at 11:34 pm
I think Bindi is a great kid. She’s going to grow up and make her father so proud!!
August 19th, 2007 at 11:50 pm
Bindi is such an amazing little girl. It’s obvious how mature she is for her age, and she has such a wonderful personality. I’m sure Steve is looking down on his daughter with such pride. There’s no doubt she’ll go far in life.
August 20th, 2007 at 3:25 am
Bindi is a true inspiration, she really is
August 20th, 2007 at 8:00 pm
This little girl is amazing. I’m speachless and tearing up. All I have to say is, just imagine how passionate about life others would be if they could do what they loved, everyday of their life. Follow your dreams!
August 20th, 2007 at 9:21 pm
How did Steve & Terri come up with her name? I love it.
August 20th, 2007 at 9:54 pm
madam pince… in the episode where Bindi was born Steve said that she was named Bindi Sue after his favorite crocodile “Bindi” and his favorite pet dog who’d been with him for years “Souey” (don’t know how that’s spelled but it sounds like sew-eee). He chose Bindi and Terri chose Sue.
And then Robert aka; Baby Bob was named after Steve’s father.
August 20th, 2007 at 10:55 pm
At least Bindi has memories , so sad thar Rob is a small baby.
Great girl. So mature for her age.
ALL THE BEST to the Irwins.
August 22nd, 2007 at 7:31 pm
I think Bindy is an amazing girl. She has been through so mmuch in her life and yet she still keeps on going.
She is very mature for her age and i think its great that she is striving to be just like her daddy and become a wildlife warrior.
SHE INSPERATIONAL!!
October 20th, 2007 at 12:15 am
all of you here just think how sweet this is, but dont you see how deluded her world is? she has no friends that arent human. she says things like “It shows kids how I have a really good life in the jungle”, which distances here from childen her age. she doesnt place herself in that age group. does anyone else think that thats wrong? she has no real childhood, and while maturity is good, how is she going to grow up properly if she has no social skills?
i think its wrong