Sir Edmund Hillary

Hi everybody,

Elmer had done some research on Sir Edmund Hillary. Please read.

Hillary was born to Percival Augustus Hillary and Gertrude Hillary, née Clark, in Auckland, on 20 July 1919. They moved to Tuakau (south of Auckland) in 1920, after his father (who served at Gallipoli) was allocated land there. His grandparents were early settlers in Northern Wairoa in the mid 19th century after emigrating from Yorkshire, England.

Hillary was educated at Tuakau Primary School and then Auckland Grammar School. He finished primary school two years early, but struggled at high school, achieving only average marks. He was initially smaller than his peers there and very shy so he took refuge in his books and daydreams of a life filled with adventure. His daily train journey to and from high school was over two hours each way, during which he regularly used the time to read. He gained confidence after he learnt to box. At 16, his interest in climbing was being sparked during a school trip to Mount Ruapehu. Though gangly at 6 ft 5 (195cm) in height and uncoordinated, he found that he was physically strong and had greater endurance than many of his tramping companions. He studied Mathematics and Science at Auckland University College and in 1939 completed his first major climb, reaching the summit of Mount Ollivier, near Mt. Cook in the Southern Alps. With his brother Rex, Hillary became a beekeeper, a summer occupation that allowed him to pursue climbing in the winter.