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Dear
Members
Before
you leave for your holidays, we wanted to advise you for your diaries,
of a very special event early in the New Year: George Band speaking on "We
conquered Everest" on Thursday, 8 January.
George Band was the
youngest member of Lord Hunt's 90-strong, 1953 Royal Geographical Society
expedition, which successfully put Sir Edmund Hillary on the summit of Everest. Selected
for his Alpine climbing record, Mr. Band went on to play a critical part in the
success of the expedition, pioneering the route through the Khumbu Icefall and
the taking responsibility for equipment and food at the high altitude camps from
which the the successful group made their epic push to the summit. Just
two years later Mr. Band went on himself to achieve the first ascent of Kangchenjunga,
the world's third highest peak, and significantly more difficult than
Everest.
George Band is the
last of the team of 1953 still on the "speaker circuit" so for many members this
is a unique, or perhaps the only, chance to hear the incredible story of
1953 from one of the principal players, so do please keep the evening free.
Thank you very much
from all at the Royal Geographical Society for your fabulous support this year
and may we wish you all a Happy
Christmas and New Year.
Best
rgs
Rupert
Rupert McCowan
Director
Royal Geographical Society (IBG) - Hong
Kong
GPO Box 6681, Hong
Kong
Tel: (852) 2583 9700
Fax: (852) 2140 6000
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