Sir Edmund Hillary

Sir Edmund Hillary was born in Auckland in 1919. He went to Auckland Grammar School and it took two hours to get there and back. He was shy and liked reading. At night he dreamed about adventure. When he was 16 he became interested in mountaineering. As an adult he was a beekeeper, climber and he spent two years in the air force. After the war he began training and preparing to climb Mt Everest. In 1951 he went on his first trip to the Himalayas. In 1953 he climbed Mt Everest. He loved the Nepali people and built many schools and hospitals to help them. He died when he was 88. By Nathan.

Sir Ed was born in Auckland Hospital on the 20th of July 1919. He died on the 11th of January 2008, he was 88 years old. He died of heart failure. Sir Ed's death was announced by Prime Minister Helen Clark around 11.20am, the NZ flag was lowered to half mast to mark Sir Ed's death. A state funeral was held for Sir Ed on the 22nd of January 2008. His body was cremated. The first part of his funeral was on January 21st when Sir Ed's casket was taken into the Holy Trinity Cathedral to lie in state. "On the 29th of February 2008 in a private ceremony, [Sir Ed's] ashes were scattered in Auckland's Hauraki Gulf as he had desired."

Sir Ed reached the top of Mount Everest on the 29th of May 1953. Sir Ed said that Mt Everest was more than 300 vertical feet. After Everest, Sir Ed climbed 10 other peaks in the Himalayas. He also reached the top of a mountain in the South Pole. Sir Ed is on the NZ five dollar note. Sir Ed married Louise Mary Rose on the 3rd of September 1953, soon after climbing Mt Everest. [Sir Ed] and Louise had 3 kids, Peter (1954), Sarah (1955) and Belinda (1959." In 1975 while Sir Ed was helping to build a hospital, his wife and Belinda died in a plane crash.

Sir Ed is my hero because of all the mountains he has climbed. By Tyler.

(http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2008-01/34673707.jpg)