edmund hillary

Edmund Percival Hillary was born in Auckland on 20 July 1919, the son of Percival and Gertrude Hillary (née Clark). His mother was a teacher; his father published a Dargaville newspaper, the North Auckland Times. Ed had an older sister, June, and a younger brother, Rex. The family moved to South Auckland in 1920 when Percy, who had served at Gallipoli during the First World War, was allocated land near Tuakau. Percy used returned servicemen’s assistance to train as a bee-keeper, and he also established a weekly newspaper, the Tuakau District News.