Extract from ABC News
Sir David Attenborough received his second knighthood in 2022. (Reuters: Andrew Matthews)
After a century on Earth, telling our planet's story, it's hard to find a generation not touched by Sir David Attenborough's life of work.
Whether it's his iconic voice, his infectious fascination with everything in the natural world or his passion to protect it, he offers something to most.
The legendary broadcaster and environmentalist turned 100 on Friday. Reflecting on Sir David's remarkable career, "timeless" is the word that comes to mind for personal friend and World Wildlife Fund UK CEO, Tanya Steele.
"I can't think of a generation alive today that hasn't heard or seen or has a feeling about David Attenborough," she told the ABC.
"But I think most of all, his voice. It penetrates, and we would recognise it anywhere in the world."
Tanya Steele has struck up a friendship with Sir David Attenborough. (ABC News: Alex Parsons)
When Ms Steele met the British broadcaster 10 years ago, before he was about to give a speech, she remembered feeling a little daunted, given he's such a well-known figure.
"But I found him warm, well-informed and delightful company," she said.
What struck her about their first chance encounter was that he didn't want to talk about his speech. He wanted to discuss the plight of African elephants and her upcoming trip to Kenya.
"He was really concerned about drought conditions. So, he wanted to know what I thought the condition might be and the impact on wildlife," she said.
That moment stayed with Ms Steele and laid the foundation for what would become a close working relationship in her role as the first female CEO of the WWF.
"He's incredibly sharp. He's witty. I found David to be the same person wherever I have seen him," she said.
"The moments I've been privileged to spend time with him, he's absolutely someone that you enjoy spending time with."
Aside from being an "incredible storyteller", Ms Steele said Sir David was also great fun.
"He likes a joke; he likes a glass of wine like you and I. He is someone who is incredibly down-to-earth, and I think in many ways, he is really very humble," she said.
Sir David has worked alongside the WWF since it was founded in 1961.
Despite his deep involvement throughout his long and influential career, Sir David has always said he didn't start documenting wildlife to spark conversations; he simply enjoyed observing the natural world.
Sir David Attenborough visited Sydney's Taronga Zoo in 2003. (Reuters: David Gray)
Over the course of his lifetime, though, he's witnessed enormous changes to our natural environment, and as that's happened, he's shifted his message to those in power.
"Increasingly, David has spoken to audiences that carry more power and influence than most, and he's brought a very urgent message that we need to care for our natural world," Ms Steele said.
Using his stature and influence, he's sat down with world leaders, business CEOs, investors, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
"The changes we've seen in this world have been in his lifetime, one man's lifetime,"Ms Steele said.
"He can chart the early days of places that we've never heard of, but that wildlife, those wild places, have disappeared, and he has brought a very personal message to people that actually, we can actually do something about it."
Over the course of his seven-decade career, Sir David has taken audiences to some of the most remote places on earth.
As a nod to his dedication to raising the importance of all things living, including those we've never heard of, he's had more than 50 animal and plant species named after him.
For his 100th birthday, London's famed Natural History Museum gave him another, adding a Chilean parasitic wasp to that long list.
Sir David's century on earth was ushered in with a week-long celebration by the BBC, where he began his career in 1952, while other fans offered their thanks in their own unique ways.
Artists in the English town of Morecambe marked Sir David Attenborough's birthday with a sand portrait. (Reuters: Phil Noble)
British composer Pete M. Wyer wrote a song for the occasion, inspired by Sir David's book A Life on Earth.
"I was in a slightly dark place. I was looking at what we're doing to the planet, which I found extremely disheartening," Wyer said.
"There were people saying, 'Oh, climate change is a scam, it's a hoax', and I was thinking, well, Sir David Attenborough doesn't say that, and I tend to trust his judgement. And so, it really began there."
After writing the song, he put out a call to everyone and anyone to send through their own rendition for a compilation, which was released on Sir David's birthday.
"I said, 'This is not about being a great singer. If you want to sing this, come and sing', and they did," Wyer said.
"The response has been amazing and chaotic and confusing and wonderful and utterly heart-melting."
An attendee records Sir David Attenborough's address at the 2019 World Economic Forum in Switzerland. (AP: Markus Schreiber)
From Africa to Europe to the US, he's received videos from fans across the globe and from all walks of life, including school children, octogenarians and people living with dementia.
"I think we should make him president of the world. He's the most unifying force on the planet," Wyer said
For those wanting to celebrate their love for one of the biggest icons of our time, sit back and relax, with most broadcasters rolling out his old takes for old times' sake.
But also to remind us of the momentous work he's done giving a voice to our natural world when humans haven't.
"There is no doubt that world agreements have been forged because of that message, because of that storytelling. Now, there's a great deal more to do, but unquestionably, I think David has played a pivotal role," Ms Steele said.
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