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October 5, 2009
Sir Edmund Hillary: Sharing success
The South Pacific always reminds me of my friend Sir Edmund Hillary, who was born in New Zealand and sadly passed away in January of 2008. He was famous for summiting Mount Everest—but if you asked him about it, he was just a man who climbed a mountain. To Sir Edmund, success was only important because it enabled him to help others achieve success of their own. As he once said, “Why make a fuss over something that’s done anyway? I was never one to obsess about the past. Too much to do in the future!”
From the mountains of Nepal to his homeland of New Zealand, Sir Edmund certainly did create a brighter future for so many—and as an Honorary Director of Grand Circle Foundation, he was a wonderful role model for Alan and me as we worked to do the same. The Ratu Filise Memorial School in Fiji is just one place around the world where we’re helping to keep Sir Edmund’s spirit alive … and when you meet the children here, you’ll understand why it’s so important to us to support them.
Have you ever been compelled to give back to a place where you’ve traveled? Email me at
harriet@gct.com
I’ll be featuring Russia, Eastern Europe, and Mexico in the near future, but I look forward to all of your stories.
Harriet Lewis