Ed Hillary 1919-2008

BY KEVIN ROBERTS. On January 11 a great New Zealander passed away. Sir Edmund Hillary died at the age of 88 having never recovered from a fall he took in Nepal 8 months ago.

Ed lived up the road from me. (Only in New Zealand heroes/icons live “up the road”.) I got to know him 10 years ago when we were writing our first book on Peak Performance. We talked to Ed for hours and got lots of private footage of him talking about his experiences, his attitude, his beliefs. We use these to this day as the core of our Peak Performance Inspirational Leadership Program. Ed wrote the foreword to the book.

He then helped us enormously when Toyota took a Rav 4 to Everest and we shot commercials and a documentary around that. Ed was the voice.

I asked him what were his first thoughts on summiting Everest. He told me, “Well, firstly I was buggered but then as I caught my breath and saw that other great mountain right next to me. I could see right there that there was a new way to the Summit. No one had ever climbed it that way but from Everest I could see my next challenge right there.”

That’s what Peak Performance is all about. Getting to the top and then finding the next challenge. On challenges, Ed told me that a challenge wasn’t a challenge if you actually thought you could achieve it. What was the point fooling yourself with challenges that were in reach. The only fun was to constantly go after something that seemed unattainable. A true Nothing is Impossible spirit.

Ed conquered Everest in 1953 and was immediately knighted. I asked him what the impact of a knighthood was to “a pretty average New Zealander.” He said, “I use to walk around Papakura in my tattered overalls and the seat out of my pants. But that’s gone forever now. I’ll have to buy a new pair of overalls.”

Once over a bottle of wine and an early dinner I asked Ed about all the debate about whether Mallory had indeed conquered Everest many years before. (There was great excitement when his old Kodak Brownie was finally discovered and everyone was looking for proof. As it turned out the film was spoiled and there was no proof one way or the other.) Ed, in his typically laid back way, said to me “I’ve never thought it was getting to the top that counted. It’s getting back down that matters.”

A couple of years ago I was very honored to accompany Princess Anne on a special trip to Antarctica for three days to visit Shackleton’s huts and track his great adventure. I talked to Ed about this as, of course, he was also another Antarctica hero. He told me he was determined to make one last visit. He did in January 2007. Mission accomplished.

Ed was the greatest of New Zealanders.

Heaven will be a better place today.

Link to New York Times obituary.
Picture of Hillary, 1953, permission of Royal Geographical Society, London.

Happy Birthday Heroes

The end of August calls for recognition of four world-changing New Zealanders:

Nancy Wake The White Mouse Nancy Wake was the Allies' most decorated servicewoman of WWII, and the Gestapo’s most-wanted person. They code-named her 'The White Mouse'. She led an army of 7,000 Maquis troops in guerrilla warfare to sabotage the Nazis. Born Wellington 30 August 1912, and currently lives in London.

Tex Morton: Boundary Rider Tex Morton lived a life of breath-taking achievement, attaining mastery, fortune and international fame as a recording star, stage artist, circus entrepreneur, Hollywood screen actor and world authority in hypnotherapy. He was a first original antipodean voice. Tex is a legend from the edge. Born Nelson 30 August 1916 (d 1983).

Janet Frame Edge of the Alphabet Novelist Janet Frame came from the peripheries of art and society, but her fictional explorations were into the interior. Her imaginings were the conjuring of experience, madness, dreams, identity and memory, into a coiled reality. She was twice short-listed for the Nobel Prize and was rated with Franz Kafka and Virginia Woolf. Born Dunedin 28 August 1924 (d 2004)

Bruce McLaren Speedster Team McLaren drivers have taken the chequered flag at 154 Formula One Grand Prix events. Aucklander Bruce McLaren was a brilliant driver with vision. He became engineer, inventor, constructor, tester and created one of the greatest motor racing teams in history. Born Auckland 30 August 1937 (d 1970)

Their biographies on nzedge.com have collectively been accessed over 200,000 times www.nzedge.com/heroes.

nzedge.com archive: Arthur Lydiard: Hero

Photo: Mark Doolittle

Arthur Lydiard was born 90 years ago on July 6. He invented jogging, the simple method of long, even-pace running at a strong speed (lsd or long slow distance) to build up physical fitness by gradually increasing strength and endurance. Millions of men and women worldwide run as part of their everyday health and fitness regime. Nicolas Sarkozy was pictured in today’s paper doing such a thing.

Born at Mt Eden Auckland in 1917, educated at Mt Albert Grammar, and Owairaka Club runner, Arthur Lydiard trained New Zealand’s greatest track athletes, and helped propel New Zealand to the top of world middle-distance running. On a hot September day in Rome in 1960, within the space of one hour, Peter Snell took Gold in the 800 metres and Murray Halberg won Gold in the 5000 metres. There have been many great moments in New Zealand sport, but that effort is arguably New Zealand’s finest. The two athletes were instantly stars on the global stage and Lydiard became the world’s most respected athletics coach. His methods were new, original and unorthodox - and had run straight into the prevailing wall of suffocating officialdom. In order to get to the Rome Olympics a public appeal was launched to send Lydiard as an "independently travelling unofficial coach.”

After Rome the New Zealand administrators could no longer ignore him and for the next few years he continued to take New Zealand athletes to the top of world running. Peter Snell was his most famous pupil and was the dominant force in world middle distance running in the early 1960s. His success at the Rome Olympics was followed two years later when he ran an incredible 3 minutes 54.4 seconds mile on a grass track in Wanganui. One week later he broke the world records for the 800 metres and the 800 yards. Also in 1962 he broke the world record for the indoor 880 and 1000 yards; he comfortably won the mile and the 880 yards at the 1962 Empire Games in Perth.

At the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo – where Lydiard had achieved ‘official’ status and was the coach of the New Zealand athletics team - Snell broke his own Olympic record for the 800 metres and won the 1500 metres. He finished off 1964, and his career on the track, by breaking his own mile world record with a time of 3 minute 54.1 seconds. Three events, three Golds.

Arthur died in 2004 at the age of 87 after giving a lecture in Texas on athletics. He had his feet up and was watching television in his hotel room. Sport has the ability to provide a nation with thrilling moments, from which we can extrapolate national characteristics. When you come from the edge, you experience being ignored, ostracized and embattled, until, maybe, the grit, guts and genius of your idea busts through. Arthur Lydiard achieved this transformational moment.

There is a lot to write about the 32rd America’s Cup in Valencia, of which I have been enthralled at 3am. Arthur, I speculate, would have been too. Cheers to his wife, Joelyne.

Links: excellent wikipedia page on Arthur Lydiard - "blunt, forthright and counter-intuitive" - and a comprehensive introduction to the "Lydiard System."

The photograph above is from a lecture to 400 runners in Boulder Colorado on his last lecture tour. "A man from the audience asked, “What about pain? What do you tell your athletes about dealing with pain?” Arthur Lydiard immediately and confidently replied, “My athletes don’t have pain. They enjoy running.”

Photo caption: "A towering backdrop bearing images of Snell, Halberg, Viren, and other running giants coached by Lydiard bore the powerful, commanding likeness of Citizen Kane’s portrait. The living monument carried himself cautiously at 87 years of age. He nonetheless commanded reverence and respect."

nzedge Hero: Sydney Smith - Forensic Pioneer

The latest addition to our nzedge.com "Heroes" series about New Zealanders who have influenced recent world developments in one way or other is Sydney Smith.

Roxburgh-born forensic science pioneer Sydney Alfred Smith (1883-1969) achieved world renown through the application of science to justice. From the edge of an Otago goldfield to the telling edge of a murder weapon, Smith learnt to read the stories of dead men - and in doing so changed the way crime was investigated and solved.

Trained at the University of New Zealand, Victoria University and Edinburgh University (long an important centre for the study of forensics), Sydney Smith found himself in Egypt in 1918 during a period of intense revolutionary activity, hired as a medical-legal expert by the Egyptian Government. Smith quickly established a proper laboratory for the section, and within a few years Cairo had one of the best medico-legal installations in the world.

In 1927 Smith returned to Edinburgh as Chair of Forensic Medicine. He was elected dean of the medical faculty, a position he held for twenty-five years. There he gave evidence in famous legal cases. In 1934 he helped to set up a medico-legal laboratory for the Metropolitan Police, Scotland Yard. In retirement he advised the newly formed World Health Organization, helped establish a medico-legal system in Ceylon, and was elected Rector of Edinburgh University.

Sydney Smith’s evidence had provided the turning point in many cases that made headlines throughout the world. From the assassination of the Sirdar in Egypt, to the famous 'Sydney Shark Case' (the basis of a 2003 episode of “CSI: Miami”), he solved riddles through the close and impartial study of corpses, bones, fingerprints and firearms. As Smith said, "A cartridge case at the scene of an offence could prove as incriminating as if the murderer had left his visiting card."

Acknowledged internationally as a groundbreaking authority, he wrote a textbook, “Forensic Medicine: A Guide for Students and Practitioners” (1925), which is still widely quoted today (for example, in analysis of the Kennedy assassination). His autobiography, “Mostly Murder”, was acclaimed for the vivid, vital language he used to describe his work, and went into numerous editions. Smith was knighted in 1949 and received honorary doctorates from the Universities of Edinburgh and Louvain.

He is fittingly described in an account of the history of Scotland Yard as a "characterful pioneer of forensic medicine" - precisely the explorer he had always meant to be.

3,200 words. Story by Ingrid Horrocks.

Keith Park and Harold Gillies

June 15 and 17 mark the birthdays of two New Zealanders whose international achievements influenced the course of history. Both New Zealanders feature in the nzedge.com Heroes section.

Born in Thames 115 years ago on June 15, and educated at Otago Boys High School, Keith Park was Commander of the Royal Air Force during the Allied evacuation from Dunkirk, and led the defense of London and southern England from German bombing raids during the Battle of Britain. When the Luftwaffe attacked in 1940 (flying nearly 1500 flights over England), Park controlled the urgent defense hour by hour, organizing and managing his squadrons and men brilliantly. Using an innovative radar defense system at Fighter Command, Park tracked German aircraft and advised British fighters, enabling them to intercept the raiders. When the early raids proved indecisive the Luftwaffe switched the assault to London. Their efforts intensified, but so did their losses and, on 17 September Hitler postponed Operation Sealion indefinitely.

It was at the conclusion of this victory over the German attack that Sir Winston Churchill was to memorably proclaim, "Never in the history of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few". Said Lord Tedder, Chief of the RAF, of Keith Park: "If any one man won the Battle of Britain, he did. I do not believe it is realized how much that one man, with his leadership, his calm judgment and his skill, did to save, not only this country, but the world." Park's repelling of the German air attack was attributed to his leadership, judgment and exemplary co-ordination skills. Elevated in stature as well as esteem (he was 6ft 5, deserving credit for merely fitting in an aircraft cockpit) his astute decision making was often based on a willingness to gain crucial information first hand, making frequent reconnaissance missions within range of German guns and fighters. His service was recognized with the Order of Commander of the Bath, two knighthoods, and honorary degrees and doctorates from Oxford University.

Post-war Sir Keith Park took a prominent part in the Auckland City Council. He died in 1975, aged 82. His contribution continues to be recognized. This week Flt Lt Phil Giles of the RAF in Fordingbridge, Hampshire wrote to nzedge informing of the naming of a new IT/Computer Flight Suite in Sir Keith's honour which will serve up to 20 Air Cadets aged 13-20 as they learn about aviation from computer simulation.

Harold Gillies was born 125 years ago in Dunedin on June 17; was a student at Wanganui Collegiate, and studied medicine at Cambridge University. Gillies was 32 when World War 1 broke out. The War was a challenge to most surgeons. The introduction of more destuctive weapons resulted in devastating injuries. In addition, in trench warfare the head was more exposed than the rest of the body, and soldiers' faces were often shattered or burnt beyond recognition. Despite the best efforts of surgeons, many soldiers were left hideously disfigured. A new type of surgery was needed. Realising this need a young surgeon operating out of Aldershot hospital, England, began performing operations which involved rebuilding the face by taking tissue from other parts of the body. This surgeon was Harold Gillies; by the end of the war some 11,000 patients had passed through his hands.

In 1920, his text book "Plastic Surgery of the Face" was published, setting down the principles of modern plastic surgery; principles which were adopted by surgeons from every part of the world. The British Medical Journal described it as "one of the most notable contributions made to surgical literature in our day". While his physical dexterity made him a master surgeon, Gillies’ artistic ability underpinned much of the work that he did in reshaping people's badly disfigured faces. For Gillies, plastic surgery not only involved restoring function but also making the person look normal and sometimes more beautiful than before. He was driven by the idea that the surgeon should be creative, imaginative - in fact an artist.

Gillies was an innovator: the 'epithelial outlay technique' and 'pedicle tube', and the 'intranasal skin graft' to correct nose defects caused by leprosy. He pioneered a new method for re-attaching severed limbs. Gillies was ahead of his time in carrying out sex change operations. Perhaps his greatest innovation was the pioneering of cosmetic surgery. During the 1930s, society women, film stars, and stage folk of both sexes came to Gillies. Following a lecture tour in the USA Gillies noted the "springing up of a large group of USA plastic surgeons". His popularity was so great that in 1941 when he was guest of honour at the American Congress of Ear, Nose and Throat (Chicago), more than 2000 came to hear him speak. In addition to Americans, Gillies had trained hundreds of surgeons from the 'dominions'.

Harold Gillies died in 1960 in New Zealand. Homesick after nearly 51 years absence, he flew in with his wife in the late autumn of 1955. Prior to leaving England, he told a close friend that "I want to smell the New Zealand bush on a wet day, I want to hear the tui, catch a brown trout, do a little painting, and perhaps play three or four holes of golf. And I want to see the pohutukawas in full bloom".

Education Edge

Received mail this week asking "Is the Heroes series of articles available as a book? I want to use the articles to inspire my boys. Boys educator/speaker Joseph Driessen suggested that parents provide their boys with heroes and I could not find a book about heroes in the bookshop today!!"

Publishing books is for another year. In the meantime we enjoy the company of parents, teachers and students on the nzedge Heroes page. We love helping with homework: "I am 12 years old and I am doing a study on Jean Batten and I would just like to say that I think you have put together a great web site" (Palmerston North); "I've found this page very useful for a year 9 social studies unit that I teach on famous New Zealanders. I reckon it's a great site and the kids will be using it in term four for research on famous New Zealanders" (Teacher, Leeston); and "Thank you for all the information, I needed this for my assignment due in next week and I’ve found all my questions reading this, so thanks heaps to those who got together this information" (Auckland).

We started to drill deeper into some of our "legends" from an educational point of view, and developed school kits based on the NZ curriculum for Kate Sheppard and Alexander Aitken, plus some homework on Katherine Mansfield prepared by Damien Wilkins. The Aitken story has been especially helpful to mathematics teachers for personalizing a difficult subject for many students (try teaching math to 5th form boys!). "What a fabulous site! It was neat to read more about Alexander Aitken. I find it incredible that no-one else seems to know about such an amazing New Zealander!" (Teacher, Porirua).

Role modelling and "virtual mentoring" is an important aspect to nzedge. A mother from Keyborough, Victoria wrote us: "As a mother of three children with a Kiwi mother and an Aussie father, I feel they need to know how special it is to be half Kiwi. Being raised in Melbourne, they do not get to see the diversity and uniqueness of New Zealand and New Zealanders. My 12-year-old son is now in High School and uses Kiwi examples in his projects, including Lord Rutherford of Nelson for a science project on The Greatest Scientists. This is a wonderful site showing a small part of who and what is great about being a New Zealander. Thanking you."

And this is sweet: "Hi, I am a 10 year old girl and I have found this site really good for class assignments and for learning about the people who have helped make this country respected around the world. Well done in doing this, you are keeping the dream alive" (Christchurch).

And: "Leading the world from the edge by being fast and a generator of ideas is the encouragement students like myself need" (Student, Auckland).

And: "Reading the literature on this site one thing kept occurring to me: "These are my sentiments exactly". New Zealand is a special place without a doubt and New Zealanders are special people. I moved to Australia 7 years ago, and I still think about New Zealand on a daily basis" (Student, Melbourne).

Finally: "What a great web-site. My daughter (aged 7) is to write an assignment on a famous New Zealander - she had initially chosen the old favourite, Edmund Hillary and then moved on to Kate Sheppard, both great choices but on reading through your web page she has decided to do William Atack ! I am of course delighted that she is thinking outside the square and that you have provided an interesting website to accommodate this. We have marked you in our favourites as I am sure we will revisit your site for projects in the future."

Posted from LAX.

Sunday Picture #3: Peter Blake

I took this picture of Peter Blake in 2000 in Wellington's beautiful Civic Square during the national tour of the America's Cup, won by Team New Zealand, the first non American team to successfully defend the America’s Cup, beating Prada’s 5-0. These two teams sail off for the Louis Vuitton final in Valencia starting June 1. Luna Rossa’s skipper Francesco de Angelis, who was standing behind Peter Blake in the picture, again leads the Italian team. We had our heads bowed in all sorts of ways after the 2004 Auckland regatta, but the point remains that for New Zealand the America’s Cup campaigning that began in 1987 has been a multi-billion dollar value-creator for the country: in terms of global nautical industries; nz global logistics; elevating our agrarian brand image to something more sophisticated; a showcase for design, engineering and craft excellence; global media coverage; employment; development (Auckland’s waterfront); visitation; teamship; reputation; respect. I theorize that the pivotal energizers of the New Zealand economy 1995-2000 and 2001-2005 were the “Two Peters” – Blake and Jackson. They and their teams and supporters juiced us onto on big, new, international, technological and creative possibilities. Their endeavors are both cake and icing. They are exemplars. There are others, and there will be more. The tickertape on Peter Blake’s shoulders was for a job well done, yet his unawareness of it as he focuses on a person in front of him, is what makes the picture, and the man.

Ettie Rout: Guardian Angel of the Anzacs

The nzedge.com conversation started with Kevin Kelly on the road to Karekare in 1996. He was asking me a torrent of questions about New Zealand and I said "For some reason a disproportionate number of New Zealanders seems to have changed the world in some way or other." The Eureka Moment reply was that change happens on the edge of the species. Part of the edge storytelling process has been to research and publish definitive short biographies of these world-changers. There are about 35 on the site (out of an initial list of 100), from the automatic Rutherford, Hillary, Pearse, Mansfield, Sheppard, Lovelock and MacDiarmid, to people largely unsighted such as Joseph Sinel, Colin Murdoch, Nancy Wake and Alexander Aitken. Their stories are "heroic" simply because they are. Inspirational New Zealanders. Paul Ward and I have written most of the stories. I have wanted to include Ettie Rout's story because she is a role model who did it tough. BS.

Activist in the prevention of the scourge of WWI – venereal disease – Christchurch’s Ettie Rout was infamous for breaching social mores in sexual health and practice. An original career woman, socialist, nurse, equal rights campaigner, condom distributor, wartime Paris safe-sex brothel operator, banned author of “Safe Marriage”, a “wicked” and “scandalous woman” of the sisterhood. Ettie Rout was a focused, relentless and empathetic humanitarian who faced danger, opposition, ostracism and eventually self-exile. 1700 words. Illustrated. Story by Paul Ward and Ingrid Horrocks with thanks to biographer Jane Tolerton. www.nzedge.com/heroes/rout.html