Posted on 04/26/2015 3:02:18 PM PDT by nickcarraway
The family of mountaineering great, the late Sir Edmund Hillary, say he'd be horrified and saddened by the devastating earthquake in Nepal.
New Zealand and Nepal have developed a close relationship over the years, mainly through the work of Sir Ed. His son, Peter, was in Nepal when the powerful magnitude 7.8 quake struck on Saturday evening New Zealand time.
The quake, centered outside the capital, Kathmandu, killed more than 1,900 people and destroyed infrastructure, homes and historical buildings.
Images of Nepal in ruins would have devastated Sir Ed. To us he was the mountaineer who conquered Mt Everest, but to the people of Nepal he was the foreigner who allowed their children to learn, gave them access to health care and helped rebuild some of their most sacred sites.
Sarah Hillary, Sir Ed's daughter, doesn't know yet whether any of his hard work has stood up to the shakes.
She says her Dad's first concern would be for the people.
"I think he'd be really horrified and very saddened by the situation. I think Nepal had been finally trying to pull themselves up," she told ONE News.
"We've had a very close relationship with that country and that's why so many New Zealanders are so upset about what's happened with the earthquake."
Her brother, Peter, is near the Everest Base Camp. He phoned home last night to say he was okay.
Prue Smith, the General Manager of the Himalayan Trust which was founded by Sir Ed, was working in Kathmandu when the quake struck.
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"Extraordinarily frightened. It's one of the most unpleasant, frightening experiences I've had," she says.
She's hunkering down in a hotel for now, but says as soon as it's safe she'll visit the impoverished communities they've helped.
"It won't all be destroyed. I mean, the people who have benefited from the work that we have done, they will be amongst the leaders who will helping in the recovery," Ms Smith says.
Before Sir Edmund Hillary died, he begged New Zealanders to continue looking after the Himalayan people. They, and the rest of Nepal, need that support now more than ever.
Bet Hillary Clinton is devastated too, after all she was named after him, don’cha know.
frankly Im a bit surprised that his alleged name sake...SIr Hillary Rodman Clinton hasnt tried to use this disaster to raise funds for her foundation
Give her a few minutes...
Brian WIlliams...will ,,,,,
Oh, thats right he has no media access.......at the moment!!
Perhaps Barry Soetoro will share with us how his great grandfather helped liberate the Himalayas from the Italians!!?
The Foundation will be helping Nepal like they “helped” Haiti.
Hillarys brother needs a new gig now that the gold mine is on hold.
My first thought, too. Who cares what he thinks? Let’s find out what his bogus “namesake” thinks.
It’s a shame that hillary went nameless for six years waiting for her father to name her.
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