Sir Edmund Hillary

Sir Ed was a hero of mine and I don’t use that word lightly.

Obviously because he climbed Everest and was an amazing adventurer, and fiercely competitive.

Of course it was because of the work he did in Nepal, building schools, hospitals and medical centres.

But what made him a hero the most to me was his typical bloke authenticity. He had some really dark patches in his life and admitted them. He was open about how he lacked self confidence in his earlier years.

And finally he was a reminder that we can achieve our goals with a intense determination, team work, a bit of cunning and hard work.

Sir Ed is a man I have never met, but greatly admire. I shed a tear when I heard of his passing.

He will be missed by his family, country and the people he helped.

He was a true hero.

An Adventurer

Authentic.