Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Thousands honour Hillary

I just find this a strange disjointed juxtaposition - Thousands honour Hillary - Mourners pack Auckland [New Zealand] Cathedral for the funeral of Everest's conqueror. Thinking ill of one Hillary and rejoicing for the life of another is an odd feeling.

Posted by at

8 comments:

D.K. Raed said...

Now I feel bad that I've been so consumed with our Hillary debacle, I forgot Sir Edmund. RiP to the man who became a living legend.

1/22/2008 05:41:00 pm
Cartledge said...

The incredible thing about the bloke that his real hero work happened because of his fame from the climb, but it was quiet in the main. He is idolised second to the Dalai Lama in Nepal.

1/22/2008 05:50:00 pm
enigma4ever said...

My ex was a HUGE Hillary fan ( many books on him etc..)...so sad...He inspired so many...and left a true legacy....

( ahem...we will not even mention the Other Hill...)

thanks for mentioning him....I hope the service was well covered there....

1/23/2008 06:19:00 pm
Cartledge said...

Hillary has been a super hero heres since I was a boy in school. The coverage has been phenomenal and well done from New Zealand and shared with many Nepalese who venerate the man.
He has done some incredible work for people in the Himalayas, all quietly because he was a quiet bloke. But he could never really hide it.
Like the Nepalese I can agree some people leave such an imprint they never really die.

1/23/2008 06:32:00 pm
Dada said...

But does anyone remember Tibetan Sherpa who guided Hillary?

Tenzing Norgay (died 1986).

I wonder if upon Hillary's death, a grand reunion took place between these two. And if Norgay, in a remarkable act reminiscent of their 1953 feat atop Everest, extended a hand down to Hillary for his final hoist up to heaven's summit?

1/25/2008 01:23:00 am
Cartledge said...

Tenzing Norgay is well remembered here. His family represented him at the New Zealand funeral. In fact the two families are very close.
Norgay's picture is the proof of the climb, because Hillary couldn't teach him how to use the camera.
And thank you for remembering both.

1/25/2008 05:19:00 am
Dada said...

Thanks for this information, Cart. I confess, I was being devilish...only because my wife thought of Tenzing, not me.

But you have to remember... we are Americans who (with the exception of a few such as Mrs. Dada) are ignorant of such things, i.e., we think Hillary climbed this on his own, unaided. (That is, those few of us who even remember Hillary... here... in the TRUE outback of the Earth.)

1/25/2008 12:14:00 pm
Cartledge said...

Please let Mrs Dada know I adore her, and if she ever wants to swap outbacks… For what it is worth I do try to throw up some of these issues to jog memories. Its all very well getting excited over pop culture and ephemera, but somehow we need to keep focus on the enduring heroes of out times.
I have no issue with devilish from people who can still respect the realities. Being a master piss-taker I can hardly object.

1/25/2008 12:38:00 pm

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)