Steve Irwin, the Australian zookeeper and conservationist, died at 44 years old on 4 September 2006 after being pierced in the chest by a stingray when he was snorkelling at Batt Reet, Australia.
Now, 18 years after his death, his eldest child, daughter Bindi Irwin, shares the health condition that made her father “start his day at 2am” and consequently make great discoveries.
The condition made him start early
Bindi Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter’s eldest child, shared that her father’s health condition would have him get a “full day’s work” done before anyone else had woken up.
And although the health condition was a strenuous one, there may be a silver lining after all.
Irwin’s children followed in his footsteps
Both of Steve Irwin’s beloved children followed in his footsteps. With 26-year-old Bindi and 21-year-old Robert both becoming keen conservationists like their father.
While it’s been nearly two decades since Irwin’s death, Bindi shared that his family are still looking through the things he left behind.
She appeared on Sarah Grynberg’s podcast
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Bindi, who appeared on Sarah Grynberg’s podcast, A Life of Greatness, on Monday 3 February, spoke keenly about her late father.
She opened up about his life and the legacy he left behind.
Steve Irwin gave his kids a life of adventure
The 26-year-old mother shared that she and her brother had a childhood that was a “hurricane of adventure and wonder because of dad” but that it was a “whirlwind” too.
Bindi shared that Steve “never slept” and that her father had “terrible insomnia.”
The father suffered from insomnia
“He had terrible insomnia,” she explained on the podcast. “I mean, he just never slept. Dad would wake up at 2am in the morning. I swear to you, his day would start at 2am.”
“And by the time everyone else’s workday has started, he’d put in a full day’s work,” she added.
Insomnia is a common sleep disorder
Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder in adults, so the popular conservationist wasn’t alone in his struggle, though he kept it a secret for so many years.
The disorder’s most common causes are anxiety, stress, depression, noise, the temperature of a room where one is sleeping, uncomfortable beds, jet lag and shift work.
There was a silver lining to it all
Bindi shared that while her father suffered from the lack of sleep, waking up early gave him time to compile a lot of scientific research that has been “hidden in the back of the cupboards” for almost two decades.
The family had been clearing out his office
The Irwins had been clearing out some offices at Australia Zoo for renovation when Bindi stumbled upon some of her father’s old research.
“We were going through his cupboards,” she shared. “And people may not realize that he had such a scientific mind.”
She found a treasure trove of knowledge
Bindi said that her father’s tendency to wake up in the dead of night to work is probably the reason why Australia Zoo has the largest study of crocodilians across the globe.
“I was looking through his journals and he would just write down, I mean, thousands – it’s not an exaggeration – but thousands of pages worth of information and facts and studies and findings,” she said.
Bindi spoke about her grief
Bindi also spoke about how grief for her father has changed as she has grown up, saying, “Time changes your grief. Time changes things and your perspective and everything.”
“But I know firsthand that the grief and the sadness and the feeling of loss from losing dad. That feeling is just a part of me. It’s like a scar on your heart,” she added.
