Logan’s ‘Steve Irwin’ suffers heart attack after girlfriend Carol Jarvis-Jackson’s sudden passing blow

The community is rallying around snake catcher Glenn ‘Ozzie’ Lawrence, known as Logan’s Steve Irwin, after he suffered a heart attack following the sudden death of girlfriend author Carol Jarvis-Jackson.

Logan snake catcher Glenn Ozzie Lawrence was treated for a heart attack days after burying his beloved girlfriend, author Carol Jarvis-Jackson with her rings as mementos.

A southside community is rallying behind well-known snake catcher and former football coach Glenn “Ozzie” Lawrence, after a sudden heart attack last week following the death of his girlfriend, published author Carol Anne Jarvis-Jackson.

Mr Lawrence, often referred to as Logan’s Steve Irwin, said his girlfriend’s shock death was devastating and announced he would be stepping away from public life to grieve.

However, just days after his beloved girlfriend’s funeral, he was taken to hospital where he was treated for a heart attack.

The couple had been romantic partners for three years after hooking up 30 years on from their first meeting at Marsden State High School, when Mr Lawrence was in Year 8 and Ms Jarvis-Jackson in Year 11.

Carol Anne Jarvis-Jackson and partner Glenn ‘Ozzie’ Lawrence. Picture: Contributed

Ms Jarvis-Jackson, 49, died suddenly at her Mount Tamborine acreage property on Thursday, May 9, just six months short of her 50th birthday and the couple’s proposed wedding.

Mr Lawrence, a well-known snake catcher and football coach in Logan, was named as one of the city’s top 50 most influential people in 2020.

The distraught Mr Lawrence, who was a Logan City Volunteer of the Year Finalist in 2020, said the couple had discussed getting married at the famous 1754 Scottish wedding venue Gretna Green in December and he had an engagement ring on laybuy.

Carol Anne Jarvis-Jackson with a copy of Hostage, which she published in 2022. Picture: Facebook

“My whole life is destroyed – and I know this is not about me, but my life is destroyed.

“I am always the person who races to help others and I have never had to ask for help so this is confronting.”

Mr Lawrence, a former under 15 coach at Logan Brothers, was known for his community spirit and played a crucial role in getting the body of young Logan league player Zylic Bamaga, 16, home to Cape York during Covid in 2020.

Ironically, it was a baby carpet python that finally brought the long-lost friends Carol and Glenn together as a couple in 2021.

The couple met at Marsden State High School. Pictures: Facebook

“We were both free at the time and decided to give it a crack – but it’s now all over,” Mr Lawrence said.

Ms Jarvis-Jackson set up home at Tamborine Mountain after living in Canada.

“We were both free at the time and decided to give it a crack – but it’s now all over,” Mr Lawrence said.

The author had successfully published her first crime novel, Hostage, which tells the story of a woman who finds herself in the back seat of a stolen car with three violent strangers.

Ms Jarvis-Jackson’s funeral was last month.

Friends of the popular snake catcher rallied around him over the weekend, setting up a crowd funding account to help him pay his rent and stay afloat while ill and after the sudden death of his partner.

Logan resident Derby Sante said Ozzie had been a “true blue warrior” who would help anyone, human or animal.

“It’s now our turn to help look after him. So we are asking for the community to support Glenn in his time of uncertainty and healing,” the GoFundMe site said.

“For the price of a coffee or two, you could help with keeping food on his table, his rent paid and any other bills he has, while he goes through this difficult time.”

Originally published as Logan’s ‘Steve Irwin’ suffers heart attack after girlfriend Carol Jarvis-Jackson’s sudden passing blow