Concern it will be 'the Sir Edmund Hillary show'

By TIM WATKIN in Kathmandu

Tenzing Norgay's grandson is concerned the 50th anniversary celebrations of the first ascent of Mt Everest could turn into the Sir Edmund Hillary show, ignoring his grandfather.

At the same time, he praised Sir Edmund's choice to celebrate the golden jubilee in Nepal, resisting pressure to spend it in London with the other surviving expedition members at a dinner hosted by the Queen.

Tashi Tenzing this week said his grandfather, who reached the summit with Sir Edmund Hillary on May 29, 1953, had not got the recognition he deserved in his lifetime, and he hoped he would not be forgotten this week.

"I hope it doesn't turn out to be just one show, the Hillary show. It should be both Tenzing and Hillary. Certainly Hillary has praised Tenzing very highly in India and that stuff's beautiful," he told the Herald.

His father took the Nepalese flag to the top of the world and if the Nepalese celebration organisers forget that, "There's something wrong with their heads".

He said the other members of the expedition, especially its great leader, Sir John Hunt, should share the spotlight. All those in the team should have been knighted, he said. Norgay died in 1986 and Hunt in 1998.

Tenzing said the Sherpas also were too often forgotten as well.

"We must remember the great Sherpas who worked so hard to allow people to get to the top. It was a great struggle for over 20 years of British exploration and the Sherpas worked extremely hard."

Tenzing, who works as a wilderness guide, has spoken to Sir Edmund in Kathmandu.

"It's wonderful to see Sir Edmund Hillary here. That's one of the most beautiful gestures he could have made, because he could have been in London or New Zealand but he chose to be here ... "