The mountaineer who helped save Sir Ed
A former climbing partner of Sir Edmund Hillary says he feels immense pride in saving the life of the great man on a perilous Himalayan expedition.
Brian Wilkins, now 90, and living in Kelburn, is not well known outside the climbing world but in 1954 he changed history in a littleknown high-altitude rescue. Wilkins and Hillary were part of
a New Zealand Alpine Club attempt on Makalu in Nepal – the world’s fifth-highest peak – when disaster struck.
One year after shooting to fame by climbing Mt Everest, Hillary embarked on an expedition which went badly from the start.
Burdened by expectations after Everest, he was under-prepared physically and mentally, says Wilkins.
The expedition had to be abandoned when Hillary broke his ribs helping rescue Wilkins and another climber after they fell into a crevasse. Severely dehydrated and delirious, Hillary was close to death as they slid and carried him down the mountain to safety.
Looking back, Wilkins admits to pride in helping save a man who would go on to win world-wide fame for crossing the South Pole and for his humanitarian work in Nepal.
The six-part TVNZ series Hillary, written by Tom Scott, has stirred up memories for Wilkins, one of the last mountaineers who climbed with Hillary in the Himalayas.
Although Wilkins has enjoyed the show, there are aspects he disagrees with.
He remembers Hillary as ‘‘breaking free’’ from the shackles of his father and growing in confidence after some significant climbing in the Southern Alps.
‘‘He was shown as something of a wimp, whereas he was a very strong character.’’
The portrayal of the relationship between Hillary and his future wife, Louise Rose, was much more accurate.
The rescue does not feature in the show. Wilkins says Hillary preferred to talk and write about his more successful trips and Makalu had largely been overlooked until Wilkins wrote his book Among Secret Beauties on the expedition in 2013.
After Makalu, Wilkins concentrated on his teaching career and had little contact with Hillary.