Being the child of a famous late parent may be a burden for some people but not for Robert Irwin. The young Wildlife Warrior has revealed that while fame can feel “weird” and ‘”odd”, he still enjoys hearing from fans about his dad.
Robert was not yet three years old when his father, Australia Zoo co-founder Steve Irwin, died in a freak accident. Steve was filming a documentary in the Great Barrier Reef when he was pierced in the chest by a stingray.
Speaking to podcast, Mental as Anyone, Robert revealed that fans of his dad still come up to him daily to talk about Steve’s legacy.
“Having lost someone at a very young age, I love getting little pieces of him back. That’s what it feels like,” he said.
“When I see a picture of Dad or footage, I actually love having his presence around and living in Australia Zoo. He’s everywhere. The images and the pictures, the video and the sound, he’s still part of every day for me.”
Robert said while the pain of losing his dad would never leave, he was comforted by the almost three years he had with the man he described as “the most amazing, loyal, dedicated involved father figure that anyone could ever have”.
“The building blocks of my life were… saturated by dad’s passion and enthusiasm,” he said.
“Everything he did was at 110 per cent with such precision and care and intelligence.
“That’s something I carry with me forever.”
It is not the first time Irwin has talked about his family. The young Wildlife Warrior previously appeared on ABC’s One Plus One for a candid interview about growing up and being raised by his single mother, Terri Irwin.
Robert fought back tears as he discussed his mother’s decision to keep the family business going despite the difficulty she surely faced after losing her husband.
“She raised us. She kept the zoo going through some tough times. I get emotional just thinking about it. She’s an absolute wonder woman,” he said at the time.
Robert revealed that he considers his mother a “force of nature” who has been integral to the success of Australia Zoo, in the same vain as his father was before he passed away.
Since Steve’s tragic death in 2006, Robert and his older sister, Bindi, have continued to work tirelessly on continuing the legacy that Steve had created at Australia Zoo.