Heritage et AL

New Zealand writer Jane Mander (1877-1949) lived overseas for 20 years, spending time in New York and then in London. During this period she published six novels. She returned to New Zealand in October 1932, with the intention of writing further fiction novels. However, due to the poor health of her elderly, demanding father (who lived to be 95) she ended up having to balance being a care giver with journalism work. Since she had no other income, she took on a strenuous workload of magazine articles, book reviews and radio talks. Ref: 7-A9827, Jane Mander, 1890s, Sir George Grey Special Collections

On 22 March, New Zealander George Lowe passed away at the age of 89. George Lowe was the last surviving climber from the team that made the first successful ascent of Mount Everest. As a child, Lowe broke his arm and it did not heal well. Despite being told by doctors that he would always be a cripple, Lowe went on to become an highly accomplished mountaineer.  Lowe accompanied Sir Edmund Hillary on a several expeditions including on Eric Shipton’s British Everest Reconnaissance Expedition and John Hunt’s 1953 British Everest Expedition. Upon summitting Mount Everest with Nepalese sherpa Tenzing Norgay, Hillary told Lowe that they had "knocked the bastard off". Ref: AWNS-19350710-44-3, Young mountaineer, 1935, Sir George Grey Special Collections