"I'm a proud Australian, a very, very proud Australian"
About this Quote
The context matters because Irwin’s Australia was never abstract. It was mud, sun, bite marks, and a camera crew negotiating the line between education and spectacle. By the time he was a global TV figure, “Australian” had become a brand in the international imagination: fearless, outdoorsy, plainspoken, a little wild. Irwin leans into that stereotype, but he uses it as a delivery system for something softer and more radical than it looks: ecological care.
The subtext is that pride functions as credibility. He’s not just a guy wrangling crocs; he’s an emissary from a place whose identity is tied to unusual, often dangerous wildlife. Saying he’s “proud” signals ownership and responsibility: these animals and landscapes aren’t props, they’re kin. It’s also a quiet rebuttal to the suspicion that his showmanship trivialized science. Irwin frames his work as national service, turning conservation into a form of patriotism that’s accessible to kids, tourists, and skeptics alike.
In a media era that rewarded irony, Irwin’s unguarded earnestness was the hook - and the strategy.
Quote Details
| Topic | Pride |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Irwin, Steve. (2026, January 16). I'm a proud Australian, a very, very proud Australian. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/im-a-proud-australian-a-very-very-proud-australian-97541/
Chicago Style
Irwin, Steve. "I'm a proud Australian, a very, very proud Australian." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/im-a-proud-australian-a-very-very-proud-australian-97541/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I'm a proud Australian, a very, very proud Australian." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/im-a-proud-australian-a-very-very-proud-australian-97541/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.




