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I'm sorry to hear of the loss of Sir Edmund Hillary. :( :( I know how much he means to NZ and my dear kiwi man is sad :(
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/...ectid=10482156
First Sir Peter Blake :( now Sir Edmund :(
Raise a glass & give a toast to this amazing man.
Just heard the news. Truely inspiring man.. RIP
:(
Couldn't believe the news when I heard it on the radio.........
He had been sick for a while, but I guess everyone hoped he'd just live forever as he seemed to have done..... Such a national hero
He was a truly amazing man who remained so modest....... and we should celebrate his life and what he achieved ...
Its really hard to explain the place Sir Ed has in New Zealanders hearts - not just for climbing everest and driving a tractor to the South Pole but for all his work in Nepal. I think that such a humble and down to earth man who acheived so much gets to the nub of what we would like to think we are about as a nation. I was watching the tennis on tv and when they announced it to the crowd there you could hear the gasps (I'd seen about it on the net earlier.)
The pub where I normally drink has quite a few links with Antarctica (it was where Scott had his farewell dinner before heading down to the ice and a lot of people from the US Antarctic program drink there when they are passing through Christchurch). There is a picture of Hilary at a Scott commeration dinner that was held at the pub on the wall. Even though I am still on holiday I feel a strong urge to go into town and popping in. Some of the people I know from there have actually been to Antarctica with Hilary in recent years. (I'll need to check if BF can make it for a drink - he works for the local paper and I expect they are racing to do a whole bunch of tribute stuff).
Sorry to hear of this great loss and especially for you NZ'ers....
Not a NZ-er here, but an avid climbing fan.
Sad news.
I heard of him through Monty Python many many years ago. I see him as inspirational and brave but can only imagine what those local to him think.
We don't listen to the radio (no reception) and we don't get any paper... so the first we heard of it was when we went down to help with the setting up/marshalling of the Elite National Time Trial Competition... one of our fellow club members told us.
We flew the flag at half-mast at the prize giving.
We watched one of the documentaries about the conquering of the mountain... my youngest two knew a-surprising-lot... they have been taught well at school :)
He was an amazing man who represented the very best of what New Zealand and New Zealanders are all about. R.I.P. Sir Ed. :)
I'm not from NZ, and have never been a climber, but Sir Edmund was a hero of my youth. I was born in 1952, and I remember my uncle telling me the story when I was quite young--maybe 4 or 5. It's funny what makes an impression on you and what bits you remember from early childhood.
I ended up naming my first kitten Hillary--because she loved to climb!
When I was a kid on the farm in Sonoma county there was a month we had two tree frogs who climbed the kitchen window each night, climbing up from the garden then they'd scale the window I suppose to catch bugs.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bad JuJu
We named them Sir Edmond and Tensig Norgay (sp?). Sometimes Sir Edmond would climb first, sometimes Tensig. ;)
He was such an amazing man and so humble. Although he's quite old so this is not unexpected I was very saddened to read this.
This is so cool - so many people at the time neglected to mention Tensig and talked about the first man to conquer Everest (meaning Sir Ed). I didn't learn Tensig's name til AFTER I had left school.Quote:
Originally Posted by Trek420
I was so wrapped up in what I was doing yesterday that his death has only really registered this morning. :(
I race today - its one of the hiller courses our club does. Its a 26km circuitt in the country - 16kms is flattish, but te remaining 10 is steady and steep climbs and technical descents. I wont be the first to crest each hill, but I'm riding in Sir Ed's memory - and Tensig's... I wonder if there are good mountains to climb wherever they both are now?
To this date Sir Ed insisted the two climbed the mountain together. :) he wasn't the first man to conquer Everest, they were the first men. A great man, he will be missed.Quote:
Originally Posted by RoadRaven
Climb, RoadRaven, climb! :cool:
The good thing about Sir H was he was willing to share the podium of fame with his Nepalanese climbing expert, Tenzig.. (still don't think I spelled this right...)Quote:
Originally Posted by RoadRaven
I mean seriously a few Sherpas, Nepalese have been climbing Himalayans for centuries..before Hillary.
We have to get a grip ----incredible human achievements occurred before Europeans discovered Asia.
I have Tenzig's son's biography....he also attempts to scale HImalayans...book is interesting about how to approach climbing the Himalayans from a Buddhist's perspective.
I keep my eye out for articles that "hit" me and this article brought a smile & a tear. The last 2 paragraphs did it for me :)
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/...ectid=10486490
"I really like to enjoy my adventures," he said in 1991. "I get frightened to death on many, many occasions but, of course, fear can be also a stimulating factor.
"When [it] is a stimulating factor, then I think you can often extend yourself far more than you ever believed possible. And instead of being just a mediocre person, for a moment anyway, you become someone of considerable competence."