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Everest conqueror Sir Edmund Hillary lies in state
2008-01-21
Hundreds of people queued on Monday to pay their last respects to Sir Edmund Hillary, the conqueror of Mount Everest, whose body lay in state in New Zealand ahead of his funeral on Tuesday. The flag draped coffin of the first man to climb the world's highest peak was carried into Auckland's cathedral by members of the New Zealand armed forces, as local Maori stood in light rain and delivered a traditional welcome. Hillary, 88, who died after a heart attack on January 11, will lie in state for 24 hours to allow the public to farewell New Zealand's greatest hero -- a former beekeeper who became one of the 20th century's most admired adventurers and humanitarians. Hillary, along with Nepal's Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, scaled Everest in 1953, telling companions after the climb: "We knocked the bastard off." Inside the cathedral, Hillary's coffin was covered with flowers and a mountain axe, as members of the local Nepali community placed cream-colored prayer scarves over one end of the coffin and representatives of the Indian community adorned a large oil painting of "Sir Ed" with a long garland of flowers. After wreaths were laid by the representative of Britain's Queen Elizabeth, New Zealand's head of state, and political representatives, the church was opened to the public. "People have been stopped in their tracks since they learned of Sir Ed's passing," Prime Minister Helen Clark said outside the cathedral. "New Zealand has lost its greatest hero." Hundreds filled passed the coffin, some uttering quiet prayers, others pausing momentarily with bowed heads. "I think today is important for us as the people of New Zealand because during a lot of our lives Edmund Hillary has been there, quietly working his magic all over the world," said one woman mourner as she made her way inside the church. "It is my privilege to be part of the generation that will remember him and pass it onto my children," she said. Thousands are expected to pay their respects at the church before Tuesday's funeral service, and large crowds are also expected at an Auckland park near the cathedral to watch the funeral on giant video screens. Among the mourners are expected to be descendants of Tenzing Norgay who climbed the 8,850 meter (29,035 feet) Everest with Hillary. Nepali Sherpas have staged several memorial ceremonies in Kathmandu since Hillary's death, lighting butter lamps and offering special Buddhist prayers for his reincarnation. After Everest, Hillary led a number of expeditions. In 1958, he and four companions traveled overland in three modified tractors to become the first to reach the South Pole by vehicle. But most of his energy was devoted to helping Nepal's Sherpa people who live in the shadow of Everest. His Himalaya Trust raised about US$250,000 a year, building 26 schools, two hospitals, an airport and providing scholarships for Sherpa children in the Himalayan nation, home to eight of the world's 14 highest mountains including Mount Everest. "Many people there are educated because of Sir Ed, otherwise that would not have been possible," said mourner Dr. Sanat Dhungel, former director general of Nepal's wildlife department. In 2003, Hillary received honorary Nepali citizenship in recognition of his services to the people and the Solukhumbhu region, where Mount Everest is located. (Writing by Gyles Beckford; Editing by Michael Perry)
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