[Assam] Sir Edmund Hillary, the Everest conqueror, is no more

[Pradip Kumar Datta]

Sir Edmund Hillary, the Everest conqueror, is no more
          Rediff News Bureau
   
  January 11, 2008 08:48 IST
Last Updated: January 11, 2008 09:17 IST

  "We knocked that bastard off." That is what Sir Edmund Hillary said after he scaled the Mount Everest in 1953. And that probably sums up the man and his spirit.
  The 88-year-old New Zealander who was one among the first to conquer the Everest--the other being Nepal's Tenzing Norgay -- is dead.
  Though the exact reason of his death was not known, media reports say he had been suffering from pneumonia.
  Announcing the death on Friday, New Zealand [Images] prime minister Helen Clark said: "Edward described himself as an average New Zealander with modest abilities. In reality, he was a colossus. He was a heroic figure who not only knocked off Everest, but lived a life of determination, humility, and generosity."
  The prime minister also described him as "a quintessential Kiwi", reports said.


       
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