Hillary (1)

Sir Edmund Hillary

By edwayne
  • Born

  • Moved to Tuakau

    Edmund and his family moves to Tuakau, because his father was allocated there.
  • First Major Climb

    Edmund reached the summit of Mount Oliver in the Southern Alps.
  • Joined the Air force

    n 1943 Hillary joined the RNZAF as a navigator and served on Catalina flying boats.
  • Burnt in Boat Accident

    was sent to Fiji and to the Solomon Islands where he was badly burnt in a boat accident
  • First Expedition to Everest

    In 1952 Hillary and George Lowe were part of the British team led by Eric Shipton.
  • 1953 expedition

    over 400 attempted, about 10,000 pounds of baggage were carried up. Hillary was the first man to conquer everest.
  • Became Knight

    Hillary was made Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) on 6 June 1953
  • Married

    Hillary married Louise Mary Rose on 3 September 1953, after the ascent of Everest.
  • Wife Killed

    In 1975 while on their way to join Hillary in a village, where he was helping to build a hospital, Louise and Belinda were killed in a plane crash
  • 1975 general election

    Hillary took part in the 1975 election, as part of the "Citizens for Rowling" campaign
  • Became New Zealand High commissioner

    in 1985 he was appointed New Zealand High Commissioner to India
  • Flight with Neil Armstrong

    In 1985 he fkew with Neil Armstrong in a small twin-engined ski plane over the Arctic Ocean and landed at the North Pole
  • Remarried

    Hillary married June Mulgrew, on December 21,1989
  • Appeared on $5 note

    In 1992 Hillary appeared on the updated New Zealand $5 note, making him the only New Zealander to be on a banknote during their lifetime
  • became Knight of the Garter

    became Knight of the Order of the Garter (KG) on 22 April 1995
  • Statue of Hillary

    A 7.5 ft bronze statue of Hillary was placed outside The Hermitage hotel at Mount Cook Village, New Zealand, in 2003
  • Death

    On January 11, 2008, Hillary died of heart failure at the Auckland City Hospital at around 9 am
  • funeral

    A state funeral was held for Hillary on january 21, 2008, after his body was cremated. The first part of this funeral was on January 21, when Hillary's casket was taken into Holy Trinity Cathedral to lie in state
  • Service of Thanksgiving

    On April 2, 2008, a service of thanksgiving was held in his honor at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle
  • Period: to

    commentating on Sightseeing flights

    Between 1977 and 1979, Hillary went aboard several Antarctic sightseeing flights operated by Air New Zealand. He was scheduled to go on the 28 November 1979 Air New Zealand Flight 901, but had to pull out because of work commitments in the United States, and was replaced by his close friend Peter Mulgrew. The aircraft crashed into Mount Erebus in Antarctica, killing all 257 on board.[29] Hillary later married Mulgrew's widow