Various Media News Asian Trekking

 

Sir Edmund Hillary

The passing of this heroic figure shortly after our last UPDATE was issued, was a personal loss to his co-workers and friends such as Bruce Jefferies (and his wife Margaret).  It was a loss to the Nepalese children educated in the schools he established, and a loss to all those who know Sagarmatha NP whether from personal experience or from books.  We have extracted from a tribute that Bruce wrote that illumines the role Sir Edmund played in establishing this great World Heritage Site.

One of the early suggestions for establishing this iconic place as a national park came from Louise Hillary.  In 1973 the Government of Nepal announced their in-principle decision to establish the park.  In 1974 an appraisal mission from New Zealand which included "Bing Lucas" (our late beloved friend and Chair of WCPA), undertook an appraisal mission to evaluate the feasibility for establishing the national park.  This was followed in 1975 by a commitment from the New Zealand Government, undoubtedly under Sir Ed's guidance, to provide finance and technical assistance to the Nepalese Government to help set up the park. Here is the extract from Bruce's tribute to Hillary...

"I (Bruce) spent nearly 3 years living and working in the park and Sir Ed visited us on many occasions to discuss our work and share his perspectives.  Conservation activities in Nepal were supported by educational opportunities in New Zealand where a small International Ranger Training facility at Turangi Hillary and Sherpa school children in Nepalprovided a platform for Nepalese staff to increase their English language ability and gain knowledge of a wide range of practical protected area management skills.  The early Sherpas that participated in this scheme were handpicked by Sir Ed and the first year at Turangi was a precursor to their entrance at Lincoln University where, under Dr. Pat Devlin, many students including several who later became Chief Wardens in Sagarmatha NP as well as prominent international conservation professionals, completed undergraduate studies.

"Our late colleague Mingma Sherpa was one of the first children to graduate from a school that Sir Edmund established in the Khumbu region."

~ Bruce Jefferies
More on Sir Edmund Hillary

Network member Ang Tshering Sherpa had his life changed by the work of "Sir Ed".  He has written a moving tribute from which the following is excerpted:

In the early 1960s Sir Ed Hillary was on one of his many journeys accompanied by his Sherpa friends.  While they were crossing a mountain pass, Sir Ed is said to have asked one of the Sherpas if there was anything he could do for the Sherpa people, what would it be?  The Sherpa friend immediately replied, "Burra Sahib (Big Sahib), our children have eyes but they are blind and cannot see.  We want you to open their eyes by building a school." 

The amazing Lukla Airport in the Khumbu, Nepal

In 1961 Sir Ed Hillary built the first school in Khumjung village with his own hands.  In 1964, he built Lukla Airport, opening a gateway to the Khumbu and to Everest and letting not only the world know about the Sherpa people and their culture, but also showing the Sherpa people that there was a much bigger world beyond the Himalaya.In 1966 he built the Khunde Hospital to provide free health services to all Nepalese.

And the list could go on.  But what I have said here touches my family, --the Sherpa who asked for a school to be built was my father Konchok Chumbi.  (My father accompanied Sir Ed when the Yeti scalp from Khumjung Gompa was taken around the world.)  I was one of the first students to be admitted into Khumjung School and graduate from there.  If not for the vision of one man who stood above all, I perhaps now would be a man bowed by age and still carrying loads in my beloved Khumbu.

Many Nepalese went to New Zealand for the funeral and memorial service, joining Bruce Jefferies and others in marking the passing of this heroic mountain man. Another Network member linked to Sir Ed is Alton Byers. He was the second recipient of the Sir Edmund Hillary Mountain Legacy Medal, back in 2005, in recognition of his fine work in research and conservation in the Himalayas, as well as several other mountain areas around the world.