Last 1953 Everest Team Member George Lowe Dies, Aged 89
The last surviving member of the team which first conquered Everest in 1953 has died in a Derbyshire nursing home.
George Lowe, 89, died in Ripley on Wednesday after a long-term illness, with his wife Mary by his side.
New Zealand-born M Lowe was part of the team that helped Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay to the summit in 1953.
Family friend and historian Dr Huw Lewis-Jones paid tribute to a “gentle soul and fine climber” who shunned the limelight.
George Lowe
Born in Hastings, New Zealand, Mr Lowe became a school teacher and spent his holidays climbing
In 1951 he and Sir Edmund Hillary were members of the first New Zealand expedition to the Himalayas
In 1953 they conquered the 29,028 feet mountain , just days before the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II
A keen photographer, Mr Lowe made a documentary about the climb, which was nominated for an Academy Award
He later made a film called Antarctic Crossing after the Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1957-58
Mr Lowe also took part in the trans-Antarctic expedition of 1957-58, which made the first successful overland crossing of Antarctica via the South Pole.
He later made expeditions to Greenland, Greece and Ethiopia.
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