Family feud over Sir Ed's watches

Lady June Hillary. Photo / Kenny Rodger

Sir Edmund Hillary's children and his widow are fighting over a collection of Rolex watches owned by the great adventurer and now for sale in an international auction.

Peter and Sarah Hillary are trying to stop Lady June selling a gold watch worth more than $25,000 and other valuable timepieces that Sir Ed owned.

The siblings have barely spoken to their father's widow since he died in January 2008.

The Oyster Perpetual watch was presented to Sir Ed by Rolex after his ascent of Mt Everest in 1953 and he wore it when he led the New Zealand Antarctic Expedition, which reached the South Pole on January 4, 1958.

Sir Ed became the advertising face of Rolex and was given other watches. The collection is to be sold at an auction in Switzerland on November 13.

But Peter and Sarah Hillary claim they - not Lady June - own the watches, and have hired lawyers to stop the sale.

Peter Hillary said he was very disappointed to learn the watches were up for sale.

"It's a sad thing to do. As per my father's will, all of these types of items were part of the estate that were left to Sarah and me," he said.

Mr Hillary said "barely had a word" been spoken with Lady June since his father's death.

"It's not an uncommon story with second marriages. That's the reality.

"The last thing I want is to be in a situation to dispute it. But it really appears that June has retained a whole lot of things that rightfully belong to the Hillary family. And she's cashing them in."

Lady June declined to comment yesterday, other than to say that she owned the watches. "I'll wait to get a letter from the lawyers."

The Herald has a copy of Sir Ed's will, which bequeathed to Lady June the camera, ice-axe, spanner, named enamel mug and silk gloves that he took on his Everest expedition. She also received the largest pieces of rock from the summit. These have been donated to the Auckland Museum.

Lady June was the largest beneficiary of the estate of her husband, to whom she was married for nearly 20 years. She received $1.2 million, and a $450,000 debt from a loan to buy another home in Remuera was wiped.

Personal papers, diaries, maps, colour slides and photographs of Sir Ed's life and adventures were given to the museum.

But, financial sums to other family members aside, the balance of Sir Ed's estate was to be divided between Peter and Sarah Hillary.

Lawyer Alex Witten-Hannah, who is acting for the Hillary children, said he had sent a letter to Lady June yesterday to try to stop the auction of the watches.

Mr Witten-Hannah said any chattels not specifically bequeathed to Lady June belonged to Peter and Sarah Hillary. "The will is very precise and specific. The balance of the estate is to go to Peter and Sarah.

"You can imagine if your dad was the first to climb Everest, gets given a Rolex watch, which he wore all the time; he even wore it on his trip to the South Pole.

"It's got huge emotional and sentimental value to Peter and Sarah and their children."

Mr Witten-Hannah said he would also write to the auction house to try to stop the sale.