Sir Edmund Hillary, first to summit Mt Everest with Sherpa Tensing, died in Auckland on Friday 11 January 2008, aged 88. Our deepest sympathy goes to Sir Edmund Hillary's family. A condolence book was available for signing in Hastings Central Library and filled with tributes.
"‘He took Everest by foot; the world by storm; the South Pole by Massey Ferguson’, proclaimed banners advertising a 2002–03 museum exhibition on the life of Sir Edmund Hillary (1919-2008). The legendary mountaineer, adventurer and philanthropist – whose familiar, craggy face beams out from the $5 note – is the best-known New Zealander ever to have lived. His 1953 ascent of Mt Everest, the planet’s highest peak, brought him worldwide fame – literally overnight. Dozens of daring adventures followed, including the Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1957–58 and a 1977 jet-boat journey up the Ganges River. International lecture tours, books and TV documentaries cemented Hillary’s status as a global celebrity.
Of greater significance, perhaps, was his humanitarian contribution to the Sherpa people of the Himalayas." ...Read more on New Zealand History Online >>
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