New Zealand Farewells Favourite Son
22 Jan 2008
Sir Edmund Hillary
1919 - 2008
Sir Edmund Hillary was New Zealand's greatest hero.
The tall, gangly beekeeper seized world headlines when he and Tenzing Norgay, on May 29, 1953, became the first to scale the summit of Mount Everest. He died on January 11, 2008, aged 88.
Sir Ed - as all New Zealanders knew him - never forgot that he reached the summit with Tenzing and he devoted the rest of his life to fundraising to improve the health, education and environment of the Sherpa people of Nepal.
View video and hear Sir Edmund Hillary talk about New Zealand, mountaineering and his ascent of Mt Everest.
View the Video News Release
New Zealand's favourite son has been farewelled by thousands in a state funeral held in Auckland.
Sir Edmund Hillary, the man who conquered the world's highest mountain in 1953, has been remembered in a moving service attended by family, friends, foreign dignitaries, politicians, members of the 1953 Everest expedition and representatives from the Indian and Nepalese communities.
Sir Edmund's casket was covered by the New Zealand ensign and traditional Nepalese yellow prayer scarves. An ice pick from Sir Edmund's climbing era and a tukutuku ceremonial cane were also placed on the coffin.
The Right Honourable Prime Minister Helen Clark paid tribute to Sir Edmund, saying he was an inspiration and a role model to all New Zealanders.
"We mourn as a nation because we are saying goodbye to a friend."
Members of Sir Edmunds family spoke of Sir Ed’s love and capacity for adventure while friends talked of his loyalty and warmth.
Dame Malvina Major performed one of Sir Edmund's favourite hymns, How Great Thou Art.
Governor-General Anand Satyanand gave the first reading from the Book of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. The second reading was given by president of the Hillary Foundation USA. Larry Witherbee, from the Book of Matthew 5:1-10.
Foreign dignitaries at the ceremony included ministers from the governments of Britain, Ireland, Australia, Canada, Nepal, India, Russia, the United States and Tonga.
Sir Edmund Hillary became a hero and died a legend. Climbing Everest for the first time would have been enough for most people - for Hillary it was only the beginning.
He went on to devote much of his life to helping the Nepalese people building schools, hospitals and establishing the Himalayan Trust which has raised millions of dollars for the Nepalese people.
Sir Ed also helped build New Zealand's Antarctic Scott Base, then drove a tractor to the South Pole, heading a team of fellow New Zealanders that became the first team to reach the pole overland since Scott’s tragic journey in 1912.
Sir Ed died in hospital on 11 January. He was 88 and had been ill for some time.
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