Brigitte Muir O.A.M., adventurer
Brigitte Muir was the first Australian to climb the highest mountain on every continent, the first Australian woman to climb Mount Everest, and the first to walk to the South Pole.
That is, however, only one part of her story. For half her life, Brigitte's home has been in a tiny wheat belt town west of Horsham. Since retiring from mountain climbing in 1999 her explorations have been primarily artistic, through painting, writing and filmmaking.
Brigitte Muir was born in Belgium in 1958. A quote from French writer Stendhal: 'We must live our dreams, not dream our lives' became her mantra. She visited Australia in 1980 and returned to stay 1983. She married fellow climber Jon Muir and fell in love with her new country.
She honed her skills on Mt Arapiles, one of Australia's most renowned rock climbing destinations, then travelled internationally to scale some of the toughest peaks on the planet, including Everest in 1997.
Her new post-mountaineering maxim is: 'The time is now and the place is here'.
'I've spent so much time traveling in the past 30 years that it is a real pleasure and privilege to be at home.'
Since hanging up her ice pick, she has completed a Fine Art course, makes films, and has written a book. She is also in demand as a motivational speaker.
'When I speak, people want to hear about Everest,' she says. 'But I also talk about communication, empathy, and each of us climbing mountains in our own lives.'
