Terri tells of fear for children

Roberta Mancuso and Stephen Downie
November 21, 2006 11:00pm


TERRI Irwin has taken her two children to a psychologist following concerns daughter Bindi has been "so happy" despite the death of her father Steve.

In an interview in The Australian Women's Weekly published today, Mrs Irwin said she had taken eight-year-old Bindi and her two-year-old brother Bob to a psychologist to assess their emotional state.

"I don't pretend to have all the answers," Mrs Irwin said.

"I met with a psychologist and that's been a tremendous help for me.

"I asked him if everything was OK, because Bindi has been so happy.

"And he said, 'Why? Are you worried? That's what you are shooting for. That's what you want – a well-adjusted child who can handle a tragedy and see that life goes on'."

Irwin died after being struck in the chest with a stingray's barb while filming a documentary on the Great Barrier Reef on September 4.

Mrs Irwin, 42, said Bob had not coped with his father's death as well as Bindi had.

"He really has had a much more difficult time and I attribute that to the lack of knowledge about death," she said.

"He saw a dead turtle the other day and I was trying to explain that it was dead, and he asked if the doctor could fix it. So there is a lot of explaining (to do)."

Mrs Irwin told the magazine she plans to step into the shoes of her Crocodile Hunter husband by taking over crocodile shows at the family's Australia Zoo on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.

She also addresses criticisms surrounding Bindi's meteoric but controversial rise to fame following Irwin's death.

The interview's publication came as John Williamson announced he had penned an angry tribute to Irwin, calling on Australians to "stop the slaughter of our native land".

Williamson was inspired to write the song, Wildlife Warriors: It's Time, following mate Irwin's memorial service.

"Millions cried at the loss of Steve Irwin, but millions aren't crying for our loss of wildlife," he said.

Commenting on the song, Terri Irwin said: "It's remarkable. John has captured the essence of Steve's message in a powerful way. This song is about people getting angry about what's happened to our environment."

The song is the lead track on a compilation album of environment-themed tunes, also called Wildlife Warriors: It's Time, out today.

Williamson has agreed that $1 from the sale of each CD will go to the Irwins' Wildlife Warriors charity.