Obituary: Everest hero Sir Edmund Hillary passes away

11 January 2008

Sir Edmund Hillary, legendary mountaineer and explorer from New Zealand, captured the world's imagination by successfully reaching the summit of Mt Everest on 29 May 1953, the day Queen Elizabeth II was coronated monarch of Great Britain.

Apart from conquering the Everest, Hillary also climbed other peaks in the Himalayas, the Alps and also led an expedition to the South Pole. The famous phrase from the popular television series Star Trek "to boldly go where no man has gone before" can be rightly attributed to Edmund Hillary.

Born in Auckland in 1919, Hillary discovered his interest in mountaineering during a school trip to Mount Ruapehu in New Zealand. From there, Hillary started a journey to fame as one of the most accomplished mountaineers and adventurers in the world.

Interestingly, Hillary joined his father's profession as a beekeeper, which is mainly a summer occupation in New Zealand. This allowed him to pursue his interest in climbing during the winter. In 1939 he climbed his first mountain, reaching the summit of Mount Oliver in the Southern Alps.

During World War II he served in the New Zealand Air Force for two years as a navigator. After the war, Hillary devoted his time to climbing and prepared for his dream expedition to the world's tallest peak, Mount Everest, till then unconquered.

He climbed the Southern Alps in the summer and winter to build his endurance that he knew he would need to attempt the climb. He also took-up rock climbing, ice pick work, and wrestling to build his strength.