Sir Edmund Percival Hillary KG, ONZ, KBE (20th July 1919 – 11th January 2008) was a New Zealand mountaineer and explorer. On the 29th of May 1953, he and Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers known to have reached the summit of Mount Everest.
Hillary became interested in mountaineering while in secondary school, making his first major climb in 1939, reaching the summit of Mount Ollivier. He served in the RNZAF as a navigator during World War II. Before the successful expedition in 1953 to Everest, he had been part of a reconnaissance expedition to the mountain in 1951 and an unsuccessful attempt to climb Cho Oyu in 1952. As part of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition, he reached the South Pole overland in 1958. He would later also travel to the North Pole.
Hillary was created a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) on the 6th of June 1953; a member of the Order of New Zealand in 1987; and a Knight of the Order of the Garter on the 22nd of April 1995. He was also awarded the Polar Medal for his part in the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition.
His favoured New Zealand charity was the Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre of New Zealand of which he was Patron for 35 years. Hillary was particularly keen on the work this organisation did in introducing young New Zealanders to the outdoors in a very similar way to his first experience of a school trip to Mt Ruapehu at the age of 16.
Hillary spoke of his disdain for the attitudes displayed by many modern mountaineers. In particular, he publicly criticized New Zealander Mark Inglis and 40 other climbers who, in various groups, left British climber David Sharp to die in May 2006: "I think the whole attitude towards climbing Mount Everest has become rather horrifying. The people just want to get to the top. They don't give a damn for anybody else who may be in distress and it doesn't impress me at all that they leave someone lying under a rock to die."
Following his ascent of Everest, he devoted much of his life to improving the conditions and lives of the Sherpa people of Nepal through the Himalayan Trust, a non-profit organisation which he founded in 1960. Over four decades the organisation has helped to establish over thirty schools, two hospitals and twelve medical clinics. He was the Honorary President of the American Himalayan Foundation, a United States non-profit body that helps improve the ecology and living conditions in the Himalayas.
He is famously quoted as saying: “People do not decide to become extraordinary. They decide to accomplish extraordinary things."
The Stamps.
50c - Sir Edmund Hillary.
In November 2008, New Zealand Post was honoured to release five stamps, a first day cover and a presentation pack as a tribute to ‘our’ Sir Ed – an ordinary man who achieved extraordinary things, who tackled everything from aircraft navigation to beekeeping, mountain climbing to jet-boating, and international diplomacy to becoming the only living New Zealander to appear on our $5 note.
$1.00 - Conquest of Mount Everest (1953).
It was the climb to the top of Mt Everest that earned Sir Ed his title – Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire. On 29 May 1953, he and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay became the first in the world to achieve this feat, the only two of that British expedition to reach the summit.
$1.50 - British Trans-Antarctic Expedition (1958).
Sir Ed’s explorations didn’t end with Everest. He climbed 10 other peaks in the Himalayas between 1956 and 1965, and in 1958 led a New Zealand group taking part in the British Trans-Antarctic Expedition. Sir Edmund Hillary’s group was the first to reach the South Pole overland since Amundsen in 1911 and Scott in 1912 and the first to use motor vehicles.
$2.00 - Himalayan Trust (1960 - ).
Sir Ed’s work in Nepal was perhaps his greatest achievement. In 1960 he established the Himalayan Trust, a non-profit organisation dedicated to improving the conditions and lives of the Nepalese, a people in desperate need of schools and medical services. In four decades he helped to establish more than 30 schools, two hospitals and 12 medical clinics, as well as two airstrips to make it easier to bring in supplies.
$2.50 - Knight of the Order of the Garter (1995).
In 1995, Sir Ed was appointed to the Order of the Garter, the highest possible achievement in the United Kingdom honours system. He also received a number of other honours, including the Indian Government’s second-highest civilian honour, the Polar Medal (for his part in the Trans-Antarctic Expedition) and the Order of New Zealand. He also became an honorary citizen of Nepal, the first foreign national to receive such an honour from the Nepalese Government.
First Day Cover - 5 November 2008.
Presentation pack containing a selection of stamp products from the issue and further information on the theme of the stamps.
Gold and silver coins were available with this issue.
The came in their own attractive cases.
2009 Timpex Stamp Exhibition.
Timpex, the 2009 New Zealand National Philatelic Exhibition was held in Timaru between the 16th and 18th of October 2009. The miniature sheets produced for this exhibition featured 50 cents, $1 and $2.50 stamps from the 2008 Sir Edmund Hillary issue and the 1994 Mount Cook Definitive stamp pre-cancelled and marked 'SPECIMEN'. The $20 stamp was gold foiled but unlike the original, was printed by offset lithography. The $20 stamp was not valid for postage. $2.50 from the sale price of each miniature sheet was donated by New Zealand Post to the Philatelic Trust.
$6.50 - Sir Edmund Hillary Exhibition Miniature Sheet with one $20, one 50 cent, one $1 and one $2.50 stamp (Surcharged to fund Philatelic Trust for hobby support) - the $20 stamp was voided
Technical information
| Date of issue: |
5 November 2008 |
| Number of stamps: |
Five gummed stamps |
| Denominations: |
50c, $1.00, $1.50, $2.00, $2.50 |
| Stamps and first-day cover designed by: |
Vertigo Design, Wellington, New Zealand |
| Printer and process: |
Southern Colour Print Ltd - by offset lithography |
| Number of colours: |
Five (four process colours plus metallic silver) |
| Stamp size and format: |
30mm x 50mm (vertical) |
| Paper Type: |
Tullis Russell 104gsm red phosphor gummed stamp paper |
| Number of stamps per sheet: |
25 |
| Perforation gauge: |
14.8 x 14.67 |
| Special blocks: |
Plate/imprint blocks could be obtained by purchasing at least six stamps from a sheet. Barcode blocks were available in both A and B formats. |
| Period of sale: |
These stamps remained on sale until 4 November 2009. |
Some of the images in this post were used with permission from the illustrated catalogue of StampsNZ
Information for this post came from.
