Friday, October 29, 2010

Sir Edmund Hillary wrote the foreword to my Teichelmann book

When I finished the book on Ebenezer Teichelmann, I wrote to Ed Hillary asking if he would write a foreword to the book, as I said he and Teichelmann had something special in common, they were both former Presidents of the New Zealand Alpine Clubs. They had both climbed Aoraki/Mount Cook, photo (left) Photo: Bob McKerrow
This is what he wrote:


FOREWORD

As a young climber I came to respect the climbs and exploration done by Dr. Ebenezer Teichelmann, mainly from the West Coast of New Zealand, up those long and difficult valleys such as the Cook River Valley, and his many first ascent were remarkable in that day and age of hobnail boots and long handled ice axes. His third ascent of Mt. Cook in 1905 was a wonderful achievement.I have seen his photographs gracing many NZ Alpine Journals and other books and I am delighted that hardy band of West Coast mountaineers which included not only Dr. Teichelmann, but Peter and Alec Graham and later, my old climbing partner, Harry Ayres, is getting the recognition they deserve.Both Dr. Teichelmann and I are former Presidents of the NZ Alpine Club and I am pleased the club is supporting this important publication on New Zealand Mountaineering, and capturing a bygone era of courage and tenacity in exploration.
Edmund Hillary1 December, 2003.