Sir Edmund Hillary

He was one of the most famous NZers in the 20th century.

He is famous for climbing Mt Everest (珠峰山 ).

Born in Auckland, NZ, in 1919.

He served NZ during WW2.

War Service

During WW2, he was a navigator (導航 ) onboard flying boats in the Pacific.

He was a peace-loving man, and went to war reluctantly(勉強 ).

He was almost killed in 1945 during an accident.

After the war, he became a mountain-climber.

He became well-known for climbing difficult mountains and was invited to Nepal (尼泊爾 ).

Nepal is home of Mt Everest, the tallest mountain on Earth. It had not been successfully climbed by anyone yet.

Nepal lies between India and China.

Nepal has many mountains and valleys.

It is home to the Nepalese people.

The Nepalese people would become a big part of Edmund Hillary's life.

The Sherpas.

The Sherpas (夏爾巴人 ) are mountain-people of Nepal.

They share their knowledge of the mountains and carry equipment (設備 ) and supplies (耗材 ).

He joined an expedition (遠征 ) of other English-speaking climbers.

Sherpa Tenzing Norgay

Edmund Hillary became very good friends with one of the Sherpas, Tenzing Norgay, and they would form a strong partnership (合作夥伴 ).

The 1953 expedition

In 1953, Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing were two of the climbers that would attempt to reach the top.

When the other climbers turned back because of the weather, Ed and Tenzing kept going.

The Summit

Despite the terrible weather, steep mountains and all the other difficulties, Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing made it to the top on the 29th of May, 1953.

Magnanimous In Victory (坦蕩的勝利 ).

Neither man would say who was the first man to arrive at the top – they said they got there at the same time.

They both said they never would have made it without each other being there.

World news!

Before the Internet, we used the telegraph (電報 ) to send news.

The Queen's Coronation (加冕 )

The news of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay's triumph (勝利 ) reached London when the new Queen was being crowned.

It was considered a gift for the Queen and a blessing for the start of her reign.

Their names were now famous.

They would become lifelong friends.

Their friendship became famous.

Their friendship was built on teamwork, respect, understanding and trusting one another.

It would help shape the future of Nepal.

The Knighthood (爵位 )

For climbing Mt Everest, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay received many honours from the Queen and many other countries.

Once knighted, he became “Sir Edmund Hillary”, or “Sir Ed” in New Zealand.

Further Adventures

Sir Edmund Hillary would also travel to the South Pole and North Pole, travel the world and meet important people.

He would also become NZ ambassador (大使 ) to India and Nepal.

Service to Nepal

He worked very hard to raise money and build hospitals, roads and schools in Nepal.

He became a deeply loved figure in Nepal, almost like a God.

World-famous in NZ!

He became the first living New Zealander to have his face put upon our money.

We also named a government agency, schools and other things after him.

Growing older.

Sir Edmund Hillary never stopped working to help others, to promote good values to people and to be compassionate (体恤 ).

His Death

On 11 January 2008, Sir Edmund Hillary died of heart failure, at the age of 88. His death was announced by New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark. She stated that his death was a "profound loss to New Zealand".

He was given a State Funeral.

The NZ govt hosted a State Funeral. There were also memorial events around the world to commemorate his life.

His ashes were scattered in NZ and Nepal.

Honour Guard 儀仗隊

His Icepick from 1953

He left us a good quote: