nz put on a state funeral for sir edmund hillary yesterday
which was broadcast live on national tv a-la a royal wedding
it was all done as expected in a very dignified manner
i wasn't glued to the tv set for the number of hours it went on
but i gave it my due attention and respect at a couple of points
firstly when i was drawn to the eulogy given by an old friend of sir ed
a gentleman from nepal named ang rita sherpa
who spoke with such dignity, eloquence and respect
about what sir ed had done for his country and people
that it brought a lump to my throat and a tear to my eye
especially when he summed it all up by uttering
his loss to us is bigger and heavier than mt everest
he was followed in turn by another nepalese man named norbu tenzing norgay
son of the late sherpa tenzing noray who scaled mt everest with sir ed
he similarly spoke of the love and respect his people had for him
when sherpas heard the news of his death
their grief spiralled into mourning only comparible to the death of a parent
there were more speeches and some rather sombre music
but the second thing that caught my ear and eye
was the performance of a haka as the casket was taken to the hearse
beautifully and passionately performed it also stirred the emotions
giving an indication of the esteem the man was held within maoridom
the whole thing kind of hung in my head most of the day
this morning i did the usual scan of a few online news sites
and got some impression of the international significance of his passing
especially turning to the online site for the melbourne age
where michael leunig had made his unique kind of comment on the ocassion
as today went on i also helped my own family prepare for a funeral
and learnt that another death had occurred on the other side
then tonight the evening news brought the sad story of heath ledger's death
so it's been a strange old day or 2 really with death looming large
thank goodness for the likes of michael luenig (above)
and some beautiful words from some humble people
to lead the way in respect of those who have moved on
