Sir Ed

It was Sir Edmund Hillary's funeral yesterday in Auckland. State funeral. Suprisingly, it was a church affair. It's surprising given Sir Ed's vocal agnosticism and Clark's even more ardent anti-Christian sentiments. But then again, many seem to love Christianity at the time of death, as Liz Gordon's fascinating, yet flawed, article in The Weekend Press points out (not yet online).

It's been amazing to see just how loved the man was across New Zealand. No-one has anything but good to say about him, across the generations. Kiwis love of Sir Ed stems from two major points, as far as I can see -
1. Along with Tenzing Norgay, was one of the first two men to climb Everest successfully, in 1953. When back down he said 'Well George, we knocked the bastard off'. That phrase is now immortalised in Kiwi culture and shows that Sir Ed was 'one of us' - a true Kiwi, not building up his own achievements, great though they were.
2. He spent his life building schools and hospitals throughout Nepal, giving his life to the people he got to know in the Himalayas, repaying with thanks the opportunity to climb in their mountains. Kiwis love that too - that he was very philanthropic.

A good example of these two is in the following video, paying tribute to the great yet humble Sir Ed who lives on through our use of the $5 note.

Enjoy!