The Hillary funeral

Travel meant that I missed some of the ceremonies, but what I did see of the service reinforced to me how special Hillary was.  And it wasn’t just for his physical feats, but as much about his humility and dedication to improving the lives of the Nepalese people.

I can’t actually recall an occasion where Hillary used his feats to raise money for himself through commercial endorsements.   It’s not that there is anything wrong with that per se, but it is part of what set Hillary apart – his attitude that it isn’t all about him.

It was also a useful reminder that Hillary was not just NZ’s favourite son, but a world figure in his own right.  Last night on CNN they had lengthy and repeated coverage of highlights from his funeral service – more extensive coverage than I can recall for anyone else outside the US who wasn’t a political leader.

Without wanting to restart the debate, it did reinforce in my mind the magnitude of the error in not having a Royal attend. There won’t be another such opportunity.  But let’s not restart that debate – you can do so at the Guardian if you want, which has a thread on the issue.

Hillary wasn’t necessarily unique, but it is difficult to see a another New Zealander achieving the same affection as we had for Hillary.  Legendary sports stars such as Colin Meads don’t really come close, despite his status as one of the greatest All Blacks.  Maybe Hillary was partly a product of his time, with the Everest ascent a few years after WWII, and the new world order was still being established.  And a feat of climbing higher than anyone else has ever climbed before, made you a near household name.

So the long farewell to Sir Ed is now effectively over. It hasn’t been a sad farewell, and nor should it be.  We owe a debt to the Hillary family for allowing their private loss to be shared openly as a public loss.  I think it is important to the public psyche that there was participation allowing a sense of closure, so now we can move on and look forward.