Hail the conquering hero - Sir Edmund Hillary

“Tall poppy syndrome” is an expression that is unique to Australia and New Zealand. In essence it refers to a successful person who is criticized because they are seen by others as being presumptuous, seeking undeserved attention or status. Both Aussies and Kiwis are culturally inclined to disdain the successful hero who basks too publicly in being in the spotlight. Sir Edmund Hillary, who along with his Sherpa guide Tonzing Norgay was the first human to reach the summit of Mt. Everest in 1953, died this past Friday at the age of 88 and could never have been called a tall poppy despite his amazing achievement. It’s difficult today, with ascents of Everest available to wealthy thrill seekers, as Jon Krakauer described in his book, Into the Wild, to really feel as the world did back then that Sir Ed’s accomplishment was a feat that was on par with Lindbergh’s flying the Atlantic solo. And the two were so similar in their temperament and in the way they accepted their adulation and fame afterwards. They both felt uncomfortable in the public spotlight. One of the many anecdotes about Hillary that were recounted this weekend in the New Zealand Dominion Post is one from an Air New Zealand employee who upon seeing Sir Ed waiting in an airport line offered him the use of a VIP lounge only to be told that he didn’t mind standing like everyone else. Lindbergh and Hillary were more at home in continuing their pursuits of adventure. Just as Lindbergh remained a life long flyer Hillary continued with explorations, such as in 1958 when he became the first man to fully traverse the continent of Antarctica while crossing over the South Pole, in 1960 when he returned to Nepal to search for the mythical yeti and in 1985 when along with Neil Armstrong he landed an airplane at both the South and North Poles.

Edmund Hillary was so acclaimed and idolized in his home country that he was the only living person, besides the Queen of England, to have his portrait on the currency (Five dollar bill). His “aw shucks I’m just a regular guy” attitude was genuine and in being the antithesis of the tall poppy, he was quintessentially Kiwi.