HILLARY RETURNS

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30631, 23 December 1964, Page 1

HILLARY RETURNS

Sherpa As Companion

(N.Z. Press Association)

AUCKLAND, December 22

Sir Edmund Hillary returned from his fifth Himalayan expedition tonight, describing it as “the most successful I’ve ever been on.”

Although four members of his 15-man team managed to climb Tamserku, a 21,730 ft peak, and carried out valuable physiological research, the official name of the group was the 1964 Himalayan Schoolhouse Expedition and it was the success of his small “public works department” that Sir Edmund Hillary described tonight. “Our primary purpose was to establish elementary schools for the Sherpas of Nepal,” he said. “We have put up three this year, six since we started. We also laid out an airfield at Lukla, and built bridges and tracks. "We’re trying to do something practical in return for the loyal service the Sherpas have always given expeditions,” he said. With Sir Edmund Hillary and Lady Hillary when they flew back tonight was Mingmatsering Kunde, the sirdar of the expedition. “He’s a tremendous organiser and has been invaluable,” said Sir Edmund Hillary. “The trip out here is by way of expressing our thanks for the great contribution he has made to the expedition.” Mingmatsering is an experienced climber himself—he holds the coveted “tiger” rating for major climbs—but on his first visit overseas he expects to be more interested in farming than mountains. He grows potatoes and “runs four yaks” on his small farm at Kunde.

He will spend Christmas with the Hillary family and go on a camping, fishing, tramping and climbing holiday with them in the South Island next month.