Room 21@EPS

Sir Edmund Hillary, also known as “The Man Behind The Mountain” was born on 20th of July 1919. H e started off life as an ordinary beekeeper but his life was about to change as he achieved the impossible.

Sir Edmund Hillary joined the Everest Reconnaissance in 1951 and again in 1952. He started his expedition to the summit of Mount Everest in 1953. On the way up, he met a man called Tenzing Norgay who was going to help him make an assault to the top.

The climb to the summit was full of harsh blizzards and slopes that seemed unclimbable but Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay didn’t give up. Most volunteers who also joined up either gave up or passed away. The Journey took several weeks.

Finally on the 29th of May 1953 at half past eleven. There were no more slopes and nowhere else to climb. They made it!! They were the first people on top of the so-called “unclimbable” mountain.

Over the next 50 years, Sir Ed was to have many more adventures. He jet-boated up the mouth of the fierce Ganges River, a river that is 1,560 miles long stretching from the mouth of the Himalayan Mountains and also led an expedition of tractors to the South Pole. He also became New Zealand’s High Commissioner in India.

Sir Edmund Hillary also helped the Sherpas in Nepal to build twenty-seven schools, two hospitals, twelve clinics, several bridges and an airstrip.

I think that Sir Edmund Hillary used all of the Habits of Minds. He used Applying Past Knowledge to New Situations because he used his past experience from climbing previous mountains to climb Mount Everest and to complete other challenging expeditions. I also think he responded with Wonderment and Awe because he always wanted to learn more about his world and he achieved what he dreamt of doing.

Despite everything he has done. Sir Edmund Hillary will mostly be remembered for that day when he and Tenzing Norgay stood on the summit of Mount Everest.
He was an extraordinary New Zealander and shall never be forgotten.

By MHH