So long, Sir Ed

Yesterday New Zealand lost its living icon, Sir Edmund Hillary. It's a terrible loss. Nearly every person in New Zealand, regardless of who or what they are, had huge admiration for the man and are sad at his passing.

Sir Ed, as most people called him, was the epitome of how Kiwi men see themselves (or as they'd like to be): Practical, confident, competent and modest to the point of promoting team mates over oneself. That was Sir Ed in a nutshell, and the combination is part of why he was so admired and loved (though true Kiwi blokes wouldn't be likely to admit that last part).

Sir Ed was universally regarded as the greatest living New Zealander, the only living Kiwi to be depicted on currency (the $5 note; the Queen who is on the $20 note, is not a New Zealander, of course). But exploits like Sir Ed's probably aren't possible anymore; in a sense, there aren't any mountains left to climb. Of course there are other challenges, but maybe not the sort that will lead to such enormous public adulation.

We'll probably never see anyone like Sir Ed again, and that's a loss for us all.

Also: "In Ed we Trust", an earlier post where I talk about a poll that found Sir Ed to be the most trusted New Zealander.

Photo of Sir Ed by Graeme Mulholland. It can be found here.