Crikey, thanks for the poem Rupert

News source: Weekend Bulletin, February 17-18, 2007
by Katrina Jones

THEY say a picture is worth a thousand words, but poet Rupert McCall's words are worth more than $8400 to endangered animals around the world. Following the death of Steve Irwin last year, McCall wrote the poem, The Crocodiles Are Crying, in his honour. More than 4200 copies of the nine-verse poem were sold with The Gold Coast Bulletin on September 19 for $2 – with the proceeds going to Wildlife Warriors.

CEO Michael Hornby was yesterday presented with the cheque which he said would be put towards the construction of a new wildlife facility at Australia Zoo, at Beerwah. "It will be the world’s largest wildlife facility where more than 10,000 animals can be looked after," he said. Mr Hornby said the poem, read by actor David Wenham at the public memorial, helped many people deal with the grief of losing the Crocodile Hunter.

"The poem was a way for the public to express themselves through the words he put together," he said. "When someone has done something for you and you can really relate to it, it can help the grieving process." McCall said his daughter Ella became the inspiration for the poem after she wept when she arrived home from school to the news of Irwin's death. She told her parents the crocodiles were crying too. The 35-year-old former lawyer took less than an hour to write the poem before delivering it on his 4BC radio segment on the Wednesday following the death of Irwin.