The Passing of a True Giant among Men...

[Rangiroo]

I feel just so sad at hearing about the passing of Sir Edmund Hillary. He was such a giant among men....the perfect blend of a truly courageous and humble person...they just don't make them any better....


Latest updates: NZ mourns Sir Edmund - 11 Jan 2008 - NZ Herald: New Zealand National news

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Everest hero Edmund Hillary dies

Everest hero Edmund Hillary dies


Sir Edmund Hillary was made an honorary Nepalese citizen


Hillary and Tenzing

Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to climb the world's highest mountain, Mount Everest, has died aged 88. New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark described the explorer as a heroic figure and said all New Zealanders would deeply mourn his passing.


Sadly sadly missed already.....

[Alan Wheeler]

Pity he hadn't taken up sailing. I am sure some of "records" and the "First to's" would have had his name on them.
He had been ill for awhile. The Airforce personal had been placed on standby for a State Funeral scince before Christmas. No one had said who it could be for, but Sir Eds name was among a small few that were rumored. It takes someone special to get a State Funeral in this country. Sir Ed deserves it, even though he said he didn't want anything like that when he dies.

[MarkJ]

I trekked to Everest Base Camp a few years ago and its good to see they certainly have not forgotten Sir Ed! The trek is like a 3 week homage to him and rightly so as it seems to be about his attitude as anything.

This morning the London Time online had a link to the original news story of Hillary's adventure and it was just terrific to see the front page of that days paper. Also for the other historical event of the day and the way the journaist wored in those days making a story from information not the balderdash they use today.

The link is http://callisto.ggsrv.com/imgsrv/Wra...53-JUN02-006-F

Mark

[MarkJ]

P.S. I wonder if the NZ contingent here will like the way the NZ Prime Minister described the nationality of Sir Ed in the above linked article!


ROTFL We have changed!

[Steve Pope]

Well Mark J, take umbrage, no, that was 1953 and NZ was a very closely allied to whatever the UK did we were firmly tied to Britains apron strings in just about everything, it was quite normal for older NZers to call Britain home, in fact my mother at 95 who has been in NZ since 1926 still calls Britain home. And of course the Everest climbing team was a British team. I for 1 salute the man, he lived a full and meaningful life well worth celebrating and with a legacy through the Himalayan Trust that will last as a memorial to a "Super" Human being who in the end belonged more to the world than to just NZ and Nepal. Would that there be more like him.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Steve Pope

NZ was a very closely allied to whatever the UK did .

We were exactly the same
And now we still try to nick New Zealanders as our own too! Russle Crowe etc.

But back to Sir Edmund, what I think we miss in the passing of time is how many people attempted Everest unsuccessfully and how great a triumph it was to finally achieve it. The newspaper article goes right into the full facts and gives credit to all in the team. I'm sure if it was in the papers today it would concentrate on whover was the sexiest bloke on the hill and who he's slept with. In fact todays Sydney Daily Telegraph newspaper online had this story as 3rd down the list of international stories!!! At least it was main news in all our other papers.


Mark

[Alan Wheeler]

Sadly I never got to ever meet the man. But I did meet a close freind of his many many years back. I was a Teenager at the time. I simply can not remember the guy's name. But he was with Sir Ed on his Antartic trip. It may have even been the close freind that sadly died in the Eribus accedent. Anyways, he described a very different side of Sir Ed that most of us saw, but certainly must have been to do some of the amasing things he did. This freind described him as mischivious young man with an adventurouse spirit. And this guy told me the "real" story behind the trip to the South Pole. Sir Ed was slightly bored with the task they had to do of setting up fuel and food dumps along the path the actual pole expedition team were to use on the return journey home. He was so close to the pole and the weather was so good, he thought it just too much of an opertunity to miss. So off they went with the little Furgy tractors. He got in a heck of a lot of trouble for it, but the public never saw that side of the story. He was too much of a Hero.