Steve Irwin was perhaps the world’s most beloved zoo keeper and conversationalist. His death broke hearts all around the world. Now, his family continues his legacy.
While Steve never met his granddaughter, Grace, the little girl gets to hear a lot about her late grandpa. Keep reading to know how she honors his memory every single night.
Bindi Irwin’s daughter, Grace Warrior Irwin Powell, seems to have a lot in common with her grandfather, the late Steve Irwin, even though the two of them never actually met!
The 2-year-old is amazed by wildlife just like the rest of her family. “She reminds me of dad with her personality type,” Bindi said of her daughter’s spirit. “She is just awing with everything. Her whole soul being is full of passion and enthusiasm and it’s very cute because she’s fiery and fabulous and I love that.”
Little Grace gets to spend a lot of time at the Australia Zoo where her family works. This helps her get to know the legacy of her grandfather, Steve Irwin, who died at 44 years old in September 2006.
“We walk around every day and there’s a lot of Steve here, he’s incorporated into the signs and the videos and everything happening,” Steve’s wife, Terri Irwinsaid. “And [Grace] calls him Grandpa Crocodile, so she spots Grandpa Crocodile and she gets so excited.”
Bindi shared, “It’s also really sweet because every night we have this bedtime routine and we have this picture of dad feeding a crocodile. One night we were going to bed to do our affirmations and she says, ‘Goodnight Grandpa Crocodile.’ So now every night before she goes to bed, we start our bedtime routine with saying goodnight to Grandpa Crocodile.”
The doting mom went on, “But I love that he’s still so much a part of her life, because that was so important to me that she would grow up knowing him, because it’s hard not having him around. I know he would have adored her. It’s really special now, he’s part of her everyday life.”
According to mom Bindi, little Grace even has some of the iconic Crocodile Hunter phrases down.
“If you ask her now what Grandpa Crocodile says, she either says, ‘Crikey! Danger, danger, danger!’ or, ‘You little beauty.’ She is so funny when she does the full dad enthusiasm.”
Grace’s uncle, Robert Irwin loves Grace’s antics as well.
“She brings such an incredible energy to us,” Robert, the proud uncle added. “If dad was here, we always say, we’d never see Grace because dad would be taking her on every adventure. It would just be crazy.”
The happy uncle gushed, “I just love Grace so much. Being an uncle is the best job I’ve ever had in my whole life. She’s so intelligent, she’s so caring, and every time I see Bindi and Chandler and Grace, I just think about the amount of pride that dad would have in this next generation.”
Steve Irwin’s family clearly loves and misses him dearly. They have kept his legacy alive through the Crocodile Hunter Lodge where visitors can experience spending time with animals (like kangaroos in the backyard!) combined with a luxury vacation experience.
“Dad always wanted a way for our guests to be fully immersed into the natural world and to fully connect with our wildlife, which is what he was all about. The Crocodile Hunter Lodge incorporates so many parts of dad,” Robert shared.
“This truly has been such a dream in the making,” Bindi added. “Dad would always say how he wanted to create this luxury meets wildlife experience and now to have it officially here, it’s just beyond what we could ever imagine and it’s something to be so proud of.”
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This is such a heartwarming update from the Irwin clan as they embark on this new adventure! Share this exciting update with others who might have been fans of the late Steve Irwin!
