Memorial

A Memorial Service for Sir Edmund Hillary was organised on Tuesday 23 January 2008 at Mt. Roskill War Memorial Hall, Mt. Roskill.
Nepalis from Auckland and other parts of New Zealand attended the service.
 

Gyan Chandra Acharya, Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nepal and Shankar D. Bairagi, Charge d' Affaires a. i.,
Embassy of Nepal to Australia and New Zealand attended the service. It was also attended by June Carlile (Sir Ed’s sister),
Alistair Carlile (Sir Ed’s nephew), Hilary Carlile (Sir Ed’s niece) and her husband Roger Goodman along with other invited
guests including representatives from various organisations such as Counties Manukau Ethnic Council,
Auckland Region Ethnic Council, Shri Lankan Community, Dutch Community and Kannada Community.

Full text of the speech delivered by Manohar Shrestha
on the Memorial Service for Sir Edmund Hillary
(23 January 2008)

To-day we are gathering to mourn the sad passing of Sir Edmund Hillary.
As we know, Sir Ed is remembered for his tremendous achievements both of climbing Sagarmatha, or Mt. Everest in Nepal in 1953 and for his unending work over the last half century to alleviate hardships in remote parts of Nepal. In his own words, life in the Everest region has “few privileges” and his compassion and care for the people of Nepal endured for the rest of his life. Just as Sir Ed was a true adventurer and man of courage, never staying away from wild places, he was a committed humanitarian, and was never far from the hearts of Nepalese people. He was an honourary citizen of Nepal, founder of the Himalayan Trust, was once ambassador to Nepal, and we were honoured that he was also the Patron of the New Zealand Nepal Society.
Sir Ed was always in touch with every member of the community and he was with us on many unforgettable occasions. Less than a year ago, we were together for the Nepal Day celebrations in Auckland. Sir Ed and Lady June guided us and shared in the work of the Society, and shared in our joy as we celebrated Nepalese culture. Today we are feeling a vacuum. We miss Sir Ed a lot.
When I first met Sir Ed in 1996, I saw him as Mt. Everest, tall and I had to look up. After some conversation, he told me “Nepal is in my heart”. His actions have always shown that he means that. He was always cheerful and welcoming. When I met Sir Ed last Dec, he could still laugh and sign autographs, even though he was bedridden. He was tireless.
To-day we are gathering here to remember our beloved and courageous adventurer and friend.
Now I would like to request for one minute’s silence in the name of Sir Ed and we pray to almighty God for eternal peace for his departed soul.
 

Photos

Manohar Shrestha, President , New Zealand Nepal Society Inc.

Amy Shrestha

Baburaja Maharjan, NRN New Zealand chapter.

June Carlile (Sir Ed’s sister), , Hilary Carlile (Sir Ed’s niece) and Alistair Carlile (Sir Ed’s nephew)

Angrita Sherpa , CEO, Himalayan Trust, Nepal.

Gyan Chandra Acharya, Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Sam McCready,Member , New Zealand Nepal Society Inc.

Pitambar Sharma Dahal , Vice President , New Zealand Nepal Society Inc.

Shreedhar Basnyat , New Zealand Nepal Association, Auckland NZ.

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