Farewell Sir Ed

[vilakins]

I didn't get much work done today because, like many businesses around the country, we stopped work and watched Sir Edmund Hillary's state funeral on TV. Afterwards, Greg turned up at my office and we both went to stand on Remuera Road to farewell Sir Ed as the cortege passed.


People lined the streets to farewell Sir Ed as he was taken to Purewa Cemetery for a private cremation.


As Sir Ed passed, people spontaneously applauded. The flowers on the lead hearse (which contained the wreaths and flowers) were thrown by the public. Sir Ed was in the second hearse; I could see the coffin covered in the flag and the yellow Nepalese prayer shawls.

There were a lot more people in the shopping centres like Newmarket and Remuera, but this was very impressive for a suburban street corner. The funeral was long but a fitting tribute, and the students from Edmund Hillary school performed a haka written just for the occasion. Very moving.

He will be greatly missed by a country that has all too little to celebrate these days.

Comments

[zoefruitcake.livejournal.com]

a good send off

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

It was!

[vandonovan.livejournal.com]

Ah, that's rather neat. Although I am embarrassed to say I didn't know who Sir Sir Edmund Hillary was.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

!!! I thought everyone did. He climbed Everest, but that isn't why we love him. He established schools and hospitals in Nepal, even helping to build them with his bare hands. He was much loved here, in Nepal, and in India.

[vandonovan.livejournal.com]

I wikipediaed him after I read your post, to enlighten myself. I'm sure I've heard of him before, his name just never stuck. Seems like he was a really great person, though. I'm sorry to hear he passed away.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

He was a great person: modest, generous, and inspiring. And he had a great sense of humour too.

[imhilien.livejournal.com]

It has been a sad day, that's for sure. We were able to watch the funeral on TV at work, and the cortege passed our building (will have to post pics later). :-(

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

On the way from the Domain? I'd like to see your pics.

[imhilien.livejournal.com]

Thanks, I will get them up in the next few days. I had a great view from my office. This meant everyone wanted to come into my office... :-p

[trixieleitz]

My boss (Chinese, if that's relevant) didn't seem to know who he was, which came as a great surprise to me, especially as she's lived here for several years.

[trixieleitz]

I listened to National Radio's coverage of the ceremony, and subsequent commentary of the cortege, and wondered if you had been there. Good to see the photos!

[san-valentine.livejournal.com]

I didn't know he'd had a state funeral. I knew of him as the leader of the first expedition to climb Everest, but didn't really know about his humanitarian work.

Now I shall remember him for that as well.

[jecono.livejournal.com]

I didn't know who he was, either... *Asche auf mein Haupt* but I read the wikipedia article a few minutes ago.

It is sad that he had to go because of an illness - too early, apparently.

[vjezkova.livejournal.com]

He was a great man in all aspects

[entropy-house.livejournal.com]

I'm glad his family allowed there to be a state funeral, so the whole nation could pay their respects.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I suppose like many Americans, they don't learn about anything much outside their country, and the ascent of Everest was a long time ago. I was pleased and rather surprised when I posted about his death that I got so many comments from people overseas including the US, UK, Spain, and Czechoslovakia who knew a lot about him and his work, and mourned him.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

That's basically why he had the state funeral. He climbed Everest and went to the South Pole, but what he's loved for is all the other work he did, esp in Nepal: building schools and hospitals there. Right up till last year, Hillary went there annually, and they love him there. They have photos on their altars and revere him almost as a god, saying that his spirit will protect the mountain and them. The two Nepalese who spoke at the funeral were educated at Edmund Hillary schools. He's done a lot here too, with schools and outdoor pursuit centres to encourage children to be adventurous.

We love him for his generosity and willingness to pitch in, and his modesty and down-to-earth-ness and sense of humour.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

It was generous too. They said they were very moved by the public response, so I'm glad we gave something back.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

He was! In a way I don't mourn him though because it must have been hard for someone like him to lose that massive strength and see his body failing.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I note the English Wiki article doesn't make very much of the work he did in Nepal building hospitals and schools there. His generosity and willingness to help people are a huge part of why we love him, and the Nepalese, especially the Sherpas love and revere him.

I think he was ready to go. It was getting too hard for him to do things and that must have been very difficult for such a strong and active man.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I didn't take any of the hearse actually passing because I preferred to join in the applause. :-)

[reapermum.livejournal.com]

I still have my copy of The Ascent of Everest which I bought over 40 years ago.

And that reminds me, I lent my copy of The Crossing of Antarctica to a friend and I haven't had it back yet.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I saw a documentary about the Antarctic crossing last year, I think, and it was fascinating. I also remember seeing one about their jet-boat trip up the Ganges which I enjoyed so much I wish they'd show it again.

[lizamanynames.livejournal.com]

*sits up straighter in seat, salutes*

Wave to the peak when you go past, Sir Edmund. (For the record - I'm Canadian and I know who Sir Edmund Hilary is, and did even before I watched the Lord of the Rings special features when he visited the set.)

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Yay for Canada, eh!

There was a cartoon in the NZ Herald the day after he died showing his footprints going up Everest--and continuing into the sky. :-)

[lizamanynames.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's beautiful.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

It is! I've kept the paper because of that and all the articles about his life.

[kerravongenius.livejournal.com]

He's very well respected in Britain, although some people seem to think he was British. He was a great man and all the greater for not seeing himself that way. On the radio last week, a Nepalese man said he was like one of their own and they all felt they had lost a member of their family.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

There were several at the funeral, Five came up and laid yellow prayers shawls on the coffin, touching their foreheads to it, and two of them spoke: Ang Rita Tshering Sherpa, one of the first to be educated at a Hillary school, and Norbu Tenzing Norgay, Tenzing's son. They both spoke movingly of how they both loved and revered Sir Ed--he's regarded as a god there--and how much he had done for them.

That's why we love him too: not for climbing mountains and driving tractors to the south pole, but for his generosity, down-to-earth humour, and how he always threw himself fully into helping and encouraging others. One thing someone said of his work in Nepal was that he always asked what was wanted, he never just did what he thought they'd want.