Crikey! Irwin Featured On Stamp For Charity

The life of Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin is to be commemorated with a new postage stamp in his homeland of Australia, a year after his tragic death.

The new stamp, produced in association with New Idea magazine, features Irwin alongside his daughter, Bindi, his son, Bob, and a very large snake, in an image that was used as the magazine’s commemorative cover shortly after Irwin was killed by a stingray on the Great Barrier Reef in 2006.

The stamp is the result of a survey held by New Idea, in which readers were asked to name the Australian celebrity they would most like to see honored in a postage stamp – the public voted unanimously for Irwin.

“We were overwhelmed with the response to the public poll, and are happy to support New Idea in this initiative,” said Australia Post’s Michael Zsolt. “This is the first time that an Australian magazine cover has been made available to the general public on an Australia Post product.”

Proceeds from the 46 cent stamp will go to Irwin’s charity, Wildlife Warriors Worldwide, a non-profit organization dedicated to conservation set up by Irwin and his wife, Terri, in 2002. It will also be released in time for the inaugural Steve Irwin Day on November 14, a day set aside by the state of Queensland to honor him. Steve Irwin Day hopes to celebrate the three things Irwin was passionate about – wildlife, family, and fun – and Irwin’s Australia Zoo is backing the event with several fundraising initiatives to benefit Wildlife Warriors Worldwide. These include Khaki Day, in which people in workplaces are encouraged to wear shirts of the color made famous by Irwin, and Backyard Campout, in which people are encouraged to gain sponsorship to camp out in their garden – and anywhere else they choose.

The charity will also be holding several auctions on the day and in the following months. Items for sale include a Harley Davidson motorcycle that features a special Wildlife Warriors design, and a khaki shirt signed by celebrities such as Jesse McCartney, Johnny Knoxville, surfing legend Kelly Slater, Aussie rocker Jimmy Barnes, and Little Britain’s Matt Lucas and David Walliams.

More information on Steve Irwin Day can be found at www.wildlifewarriors.org.au.