Sir Edmund Hillary KG, KBE, ONZ (1919 - 2008) Inaugural Patron of the Parks Forum

"…I wish you well in your endeavours to provide leadership in the development of best practice and innovation in park management; provide a forum for member agencies to share information, experience and expertise and to disseminate this information to the industry more broadly; assist the development of government policy on all matters affecting the parks industry; and enhance community understanding of the role and importance of parks….."

Sir Edmund Hillary
(excerpt from Welcoming Speech at the Parks Forum Parks in Society Conference, Canberra, May 2004)

Sir Edmund Hillary – A Life to be Celebrated
Sir Edmund Hillary is best known for being the first person to set foot on the summit of Everest, a feat he achieved together with his Sherpa companion, Tenzing Norgay, in May of 1953. Not so widely known, perhaps, is that Hillary climbed a total of 11 summits in the Himalayas, all above 6,000 metres.
Conquering the world's highest mountain is, however, only one of many achievements in what was an inspiring and substantial life.
Born in Auckland, New Zealand, in 1919, Sir Edmund served as a pilot during World War II and earned renown as an ice climber. During the summer of 1957-58, he led an expedition across Antarctica and successfully reached the South Pole by driving farm tractors across the frozen continent. He and his party were the first men to reach the South Pole by travelling overland since Captain Scott's expedition in 1912.
In the 1980's he served as New Zealand's Ambassador to India.
Sir Edmund travelled to many parts of the world and was especially fond of the hardy Sherpa people of Nepal. Since his ascent in 1953, he devoted considerable time and energy to helping the Sherpas of the Khumbu region. During his many visits back to Nepal, he helped build schools, hospitals, bridges and airfields through his Himalayan Trust, and he also continued in his global fund-raising work for organisations such as UNICEF and the World Wildlife Fund. Perhaps most impressive of all, throughout a lifetime packed with adventure, was that he remained an extremely modest, direct and approachable person.
He will be remembered dearly, and greatly missed.

Mountains climbed
1944 : Mt Tapuaenuku, 2885m, Inland Kaikouras.
1946: Mt Sealy (2637m), Mt Hamilton (2995m), Malte Brun (3155m), De La Beche (2992m) - Mt Cook National Park.
1947: Aiguille Rouge (2911m), Haidinger (3066m), Mt Cook (3746m) - Mt Cook National Park.
1948: Nazomi (2811m), Mt Cook, Sth ridge, first ascent.
1950: Mt Tasman (3498m), Dampier (3440m) - Mt Cook National Park; Jungfrau (4156m), Finsteraarhorn (4274m), Monch (4099m), Weisshorn (4504m) - all Switzerland; Schaufelspitz (3332m) Austria; Lyskamm (4526m) - Italy/Switzerland.
1951: Elie de Beaumont (3117m) first ascent Maximillian ridge Mt Cook National Park.
1953: MT EVEREST, FIRST ASCENT.
1971: Mt Cook Grand Traverse.

Major Expeditions:
1951: Mukut Parbat and Everest reconnaissance, Nepal
1952: Prelude to Everest, Nepal/Tibet
1953: British Everest expedition
1954: NZ Makalu expedition (leader)
1956-58: Trans Antarctic, leader NZ team to Sth Pole
1960: Search for the Yeti, Nepal (leader)
1961, 63, 64: Leader, Himalayan expeditions
1967: Mt Herschel, Antarctic (leader)
1977: Ocean to the Sky, jet boat traverse of River Ganges, (leader)

Publications
High Adventure, 1955; East of Everest (with George Lowe), 1956; The Crossing of Antarctica (with George Fuchs), 1958; No Latitude for Error, 1961; High in the Thin Cold Air (with Desmond Doig), 1963; School House in the Clouds, 1965; Nothing Venture Nothing Win, 1975; From the Ocean to the Sky (with Peter Hillary), 1979; Two Generations, 1983; Sagarmatha, The View from the Summit, 1998.

Honours
KBE 1953, Polar Medal 1958, National Geographic Society Hubbard Medal 1954, Star of Nepal 1st class 1954, US Gold Cullum Geographical Medal 1954, RGS Founder's Medal 1958, James Wattie Book of the Year Award 1975, Order of New Zealand 1987, KG 1995