Death stuns country that adores him (+pics)
His other great adventuring feat is beating Englishman Sir Vivian Fuchs to the South Pole in what the public regarded as a race, but he will also be known for his devotion to the Sherpa people of Nepal, for whom he led the building of hospitals and schools.
Hillary was born at Tuakau, near Auckland, in 1919, the son of a warm, affectionate mother and stern father. He gained his secondary education at Auckland Grammar School.
A fourth form trip to Mount Ruapehu coincided with the growth spurt that would extend and strengthen the teenaged Hillarys frame. A new interest was born.
He extended his climbing activities and, using the South Islands Southern Alps as a training ground, sought ever higher peaks to scale, in New Zealand and abroad. He joined NZ and British expeditions in the Himalayas in 1951 and 52.
The strength, toughness and temperament he showed among some of the worlds best mountaineers won him inclusion in Lord Hunts 1953 British attempt to conquer the worlds highest mountain, the then unclimbed Mount Everest.
His skill and determination on this mission led Hillary, with Tenzing, to be allotted the ultimate climb from the final camp to the summit. The pair reached the top on May 29, 1953. For Hillary it was the fulfilment of a promise he had made to a friend 14 years earlier, indicating his singlemindedness.
Great were the celebrations throughout the Commonwealth. The Everest feat was welcomed as a good omen for the coronation at that time of Queen Elizabeth II. Hillary was invested with his first (of two) knighthoods by the Queen.
On his return to New Zealand, later in 1953, he married Louise Rose, daughter of the president of the NZ Alpine Club. The couple had a son and two daughters.
Son Peter would later scale Everest, too. However, Hillary, who loved planes and cars, was plunged into years of depression when his wife, who feared travelling in small aircraft, and daughter Belinda were killed in a plane crash in Nepal, in 1975.
For years after 1953, Hillarys life involved leading Himalayan and polar expeditions and lecturing and writing a string of books about his experiences.
A highlight came in 1957-58, when he led the motorised NZ support party for Fuchs, establishing supply
depots for the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition. Hillary completed his task and decided to push on to the South Pole. He reached it ahead of Fuchs, who was approaching from the other side of the continent.
As late as this century, he was still regarded as the conscience of adventurers, taking Kiwi climber Mark Inglis to task for passing by a dying climber on Everest; condemning American plans for a supply road to the South Pole.
His voice was universally respected, as seen in the many organisations in which he held office and for which he was elected patron, and in his honorary degrees.
Hillarys most quoted words are probably: “We knocked the bastard off, in reference to climbing Everest. He once spoke of the embarrassment he felt at having this throwaway remark circulated around the world and thrust before him repeatedly.
Sir Edmund Percival Hillary, KG, ONZ, KBE, born Auckland, July 20, 1919; Pre-deceased by first wife Louise and daughter Belinda; survived by second wife June, daughter Sarah and son Peter.
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Thursday, January 31st, 2008 at 6:04 pm under