The Australian

THU 21 SEP 2006

Strewth

By Nick Leys, Andrew Fraser

 

Who's who at the zoo

IT was Akubras at five paces at the Crocoseum yesterday as Prime Minister John Howard and Queensland Premier Peter Beattie both beat the heat with the sort of celebrity headwear the late Croc Hunter would never be seen wearing. It was a big day for a who's who at Australia Zoo, with a pack of celebrities attending Steve Irwin's memorial. It must have been hell at Maroochydore Airport with Anthony Field from The Wiggles, former world motorcycle champ Mick Doohan, former world boxing champ Kostya Tszyu and actor David Wenham flying in with all the pollies. Queensland rugby league coach Mal Meninga and swimming guru Lawrie Lawrence rolled up, while all the way from the Sunshine Coast came former league Test halfback Allan Langer, ironman Grant Kenny and wife Lisa Curry-Kenny. The televised tribute even penetrated coup-struck Thailand, where the military pulled the plug on the independent cable news networks. The only thing showing apart from state media was ABC Asia, which was

screening the Irwin memorial.