Author

• Sir Edmund Hillary

  
  Sir Edmund Hillary

  Born 1919 in Tuakau, Auckland, New Zealand, Sir Edmund Hillary climbed into immortality on May 29, 1953 together with his Sherpa companion Tenzing Norgay, by becoming the first to reach the highest point on earth, Mount Everest - 8,850 meters above sea level. Hillary has conquered 11 summits in the Himalaya, all above 6,000 metres. Among other adventures and expeditions, in the late fifties Hillary was invited to partipate in the first mechanized expedition to the South Pole, and in 1975, he travelled by jet boat from the mouth of the Ganges to the head waters of the river high in the Himalayas. During the recent years, he has continued his global fund-raising work for organisations such as UNICEF and the World Wildlife Fund.