Sir Edmund Hillary (1919 – 2008)
Our House is named after Sir Edmund Hillary, the New Zealand mountain climber and Antarctic explorer who with the Nepalese mountaineer Tenzing Norgay, was the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest (8,850m), the highest mountain in the world.
Born in Auckland, New Zealand, he served in the Royal New Zealand Air Force during World War II (1939-1945). He obtained his early mountaineering experience in the Southern Alps. In 1951 and 1952 he participated in expeditions to the Himalayas. He joined the British Mount Everest Expedition in 1953 as one of the chief climbers. Hillary reached the summit on May 29, 1953, and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for the achievement later that year.
In 1955 he was appointed leader of the New Zealand party of a trans antarctic expedition, which was sponsored by the Commonwealth of Nations and headed by Vivian E. Fuchs. He led his party across Antarctica by tractor, reaching the South Pole on January 4, 1958, the first person to do so by overland journey since Robert F. Scott in 1912. He subsequently led several expeditions to the Himalayas.
Since the 1960’s Hillary has raised funds & awareness for the Sherpa people of Nepal. His Himalayan Trust has built clinics, hospitals and schools in the mountain kingdom.
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"In some ways I believe I epitomise the average New Zealander: I have modest abilities, I combine these with a good deal of determination, and I rather like to succeed."
"You don't have to be a fantastic hero to do certain things to compete. You can be just an ordinary chap, sufficiently motivated to reach challenging goals. The intense effort, the giving of everything you've got, is a very pleasant bonus".
(Sir Edmund Hillary)
Let Sir Edmund’s words guide you as you set yourself challenging goals, and then motivate yourself, and others, to really strive to achieve those goals.
