Sir Edmund Hillary
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Edmund Percival Hillary was born in Auckland, New Zealand, on July 20 1919. Hillary was educated at Auckland Grammar School and spent two years at Auckland University before joining his father in the honey production business. During World War II he served as a navigator in the Pacific Theatre on RNZAF Catalina flying boats. Hillary’s first contact with mountains came through a skiing trip at High School but his interests soon changed to mountaineering with ten years of weekends and holidays in the New Zealand mountains making a number of difficult first ascents. In 1950 Hillary climbed in the Austrian and Swiss Alps.
1951 was the beginning of Hillary’s association with the Himalayas, four New Zealand climbers organising and financing their own trip to the Gawhal Himalaya and making first ascents of six peaks over 20,000 feet. This brought an invitation for two members to join the British Everest reconnaissance party in September 1951, and Hillary was one. This expedition discovered the route up the south side of the mountain, which was later used in the successful ascent. He was back in the Himalayas again in 1952 with the British Cho Oyu expedition, and on 29th May 1953 Hillary, with Tenzing Norgay, reached the summit of Mount Everest during the successful assault of the British Mount Everest Expedition. Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II, Sir Edmund became both and international celebrity and a local hero.
In 1953 Hillary married Louise Mary Rose. They had three children Peter, Sarah and Belinda.
In 1954 Hillary’s interest turned to the Antarctic as leader of the New Zealand part of the British Trans Antarctic Expedition. He supervised the building of Scott Base in McMurdo Sound and wintered over with 22 companions. An extensive scientific and exploratory programme was undertaken and Hillary and four companions travelled overland with three modified farm tractors and became the first ever party with vehicles to reach the South Pole.
During 1960/61 Hillary returned to the Himalayas with a large scientific and mountaineering expedition establishing a specially insulated hut at 19,000 feet for high altitude research. A search for the Yeti concluded the creature was largely mythological. Several difficult first ascents were made including Mt Amadablam (22,300 ft) but the party failed in it’s attempt to climb Makalu at 27,790 ft without oxygen. Hillary himself suffered a minor cerebral stroke at 21,000 ft but made a complete recovery.
During this expedition Hillary first took action on his growing concern for the welfare of the Sherpa people, who had played such an important part in his Himalayan successes. With finances donated Field Enterprises Educational Corporation of Chicago, Hillary cooperated with the Sherpas to build Khumjung School at 12.600 ft – the first permanent school in the Mt Everest area.
Hillary returned to the Himalayas annually and some fine first ascents were made by members of his parties. However, more important was the building of seven schools, two water pipelines, four bridges and one mountain airfield. In 1966 he achieved a major ambition establishing a small hospital in the village of Kunde – 12,700 ft. For many years Hillary was president of New Zealand’s Volunteer Service Abroad and he has devoted much time to publicly lecturing on the need for increased aid to developing countries.
Hillary still found plenty of time for adventure, returning in 1967 to the Antarctic to first ascend Mt Herschel (11,700 ft). In 1968 he tackled the turbulent rivers of East Nepal with two small jet boats. Although one boat sank in a violent rapid, Hillary succeeded in travelling 1801 miles from the Indian border up the Sun Kosi river to the capital of Nepal, Kathmandu. By 1974, 17 mountain schools were in operation plus many fresh water pipelines and bridges and a major project in 1975 – a hospital at Phaphlu and an airfield. During the course of this expedition Hillary’s wife and youngest daughter died in the crash of a small plane that was flying from Kathmandu to join him at Phaphlu. Despite this disaster, the hospital and airfield were completed and other projects undertaken.
In September/October 1977 Hillary drove three jet boats against the current up the Ganges river from the ocean to it’s source in the Himalayan peaks which led to a book and television programme with worldwide coverage.
In 1985 he was appointed NZ High Commissioner to India, Nepal and Bangladesh, and spent 4 ½ years based in New Delhi, while still carrying out construction programmes in the Everest region. The Himalayan Trust, started by Hillary to fund and undertake this work, has now completed 27 schools, two hospitals, numerous medical clinics, a re-forestation programme in the Sagarmatha (Everest) National Park, plus a number bridges, and fresh water pipelines. All projects have been in response to requests from Sherpa people, and carried out with their assistance. Sir Edmund is a greatly loved and respected figure in the Solu Khumbu region.
Hillary is a former International Director of the World Wildlife Fund. The UN Environmental Programme has also honoured him for his conservation activities.
In 1985 he accompanied astronaut Neil Armstrong in a small twin-engined ski plane over the Arctic Ocean and landed at the North Pole. He is believed to be the first person to reach both the North and South Poles and the summit of Everest. Hillary has received a number of medals and decorations including:
Founders medal of the Royal Geographical Society
Hubbard medal of the National Geographical Society
Polar Medal
Commander Merite et Sportif
Star of Nepal (1st Class)
Order of New Zealand
In 1995 he received the Noble Order of the Garter from Queen Elizabeth II. An honorary Member or Patron of many organisations and Honorary President of the Explorers Club (New York), Hillary has also been a long-term advisor for Sears Roebuck and Co of Chicago and Toronto. He has received eight Honorary Doctorates and written nine books.
From India, Hillary returned home to Auckland in 1989, where he celebrated his 70th birthday. Then on December 21, he married June Mulgrew, widow of his old friend Peter Mulgrew who travelled with him to the South Pole (and who died in the Air NZ DC10 plane crash in the Antarctic).
1989 also saw famous Tengpoche Monastery at the foot of Mt Everest destroyed by fire and Hillary carried out a worldwide fundraising, re-building programme. In 1991 he was appointed “UNICEF Special Representative for the Children of the Himalayas”. In 1997 he received the Variety Clubs International Humanitarian of the Year Award.
In 1999, his biography “View from the Summit” was released, and he celebrated his 80th Birthday at a dinner hosted by NZ Governor General Sir Michael and Lady Hardie Boys.
In 2003 Sir Edmund celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the ascent of Everest in Nepal, with his Sherpa friends and Tenzing Norgay’s family.
In 2004 he was named as the patron of the Excelerator: NZ Leadership Institute.
New Zealander’s will always remember this extraordinary, ordinary man, a worldwide symbol of courage, determination, leadership and humanitarian service, who sadly passed away on the 11th of January 2008.
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