Terri Irwin recalls final weeks with Steve Irwin 20 years after his death: 'A long and sweet goodbye'

“After 20 years, grief still walks with me like my shadow,” Terri wrote, adding that the passage of time had given her “more perspective and understanding”. Terri then recalled the final six weeks she and her family spent together, describing the period as an unexpectedly meaningful farewell.

“We were together as a family, on our crocodile research expedition, for what was to be our final six weeks together,” she wrote. “Ours was to be a long and sweet goodbye.”During the expedition, Steve spent time with his young children, building swings and climbing trees with them.

Terri remembered how the family slowed down during those final weeks. “Steve spent time with Bindi and Robert building swings and climbing trees. We all slowed down.

Time slowed down,” she wrote. Reflecting on the experience two decades later, Terri said she believes people may sometimes have an opportunity to say goodbye without realising it at the time. “I believe that all of us, every one of us, gets to say goodbye.

We just may not know that we're saying it,” she wrote. She encouraged her followers to appreciate time spent with the people they love, ending her message with, “Hold every moment dear with the ones you love.

Until we meet again.”View this post on Instagram. Bindi responded to her mother’s tribute, writing, “I love you so much, Mum. You are the strongest woman I know.”Steve died on September 4, 2006, at the age of 44 after a stingray pierced his chest while he was filming the documentary.

Ocean's Deadliestat Batt Reef in Australia. His death shocked fans around the world and came at the height of his global fame as the star of. The Crocodile Hunter.

Steve and Terri had become internationally known through. The Crocodile Hunter, which followed their work with wildlife and their life at Australia Zoo. The couple shared two children, Bindi and Robert, who have continued their father’s conservation legacy alongside their mother.

Bindi and Robert also paid tribute to their father on the 20th anniversary of his death. Robert shared a montage celebrating Steve’s approach to life and wildlife, thanking him for teaching him to lead with empathy and passion.

Bindi, meanwhile, shared a video of Steve speaking about her birth and reflected on the lasting impact of losing him. “20 years ago, today, the world lost the most passionate and dedicated wildlife conservationist. Our family lost our superhero,” Bindi wrote.

“My mum lost the love of her life; my brother and I lost the greatest dad.”She added that grief had remained a part of the family’s lives, writing, “Where there is enormous grief, there is even greater love.”Two decades after Steve’s death, Terri, Bindi and Robert continue to honour his commitment to wildlife conservation, keeping the work they built together alive through Australia Zoo and their ongoing advocacy for animals and the environment.