Word: keenness
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SULLIVAN: Tell us about your youth. HILLARY: I was born here in Auckland, but the first 15 years of my life we lived 40 miles south in a small village called Taukau and I went to primary school there. My mother was a school teacher and very keen that I go to a city school, so although it was fairly impovrished times, I traveled every day to the Auckland Grammar School. I found the city rather trying. I was definitely very much a country boy. I was a really weedy 11-year-old, then I grew five inches one year...
...speed and left John behind. I always remember looking behind at John, who was absolutely desperate to try and defeat me on this hill, and I really couldn't understand it. Here was the leader of the expedition, the big wheel, why should he be so desperately keen to beat someone who was a great deal younger than he was? I was physically strong back then, and I acclimatized well, and I had quite a competitive spirit. Technically, I was a good snow-and-ice technician, as far as the standards in those days went. I was a good step...
...tent about 4:30 in the morning, and there were clouds around, but it was a good deal clearer so I realized that we had a good chance to put in a push towards the summit. I was absolutely certain that Tenzing and I could do this. Tenzing was keen to go. We knew that the conditions were good enough, so we just made our preparations and pushed on. I wouldn't say the final push was fun. It was jolly hard work actually, and the long slope up to the South Summit had soft snow and we were very...
...much longer sort of business really. So in our trip to the South Pole, we were under constant tension, for long, long periods. For hours we'd be under great tension. Whereas on a big mountain it would be for short periods. I enjoyed it. I had been keen to get to the South Pole...
...along the way there was tragedy. Tell us about Louise Rose. I married Louise shortly after the Everest expedition. Louise was a good deal younger than I was, but she was a keen mountaineer. She was very much involved in the out-of-doors, and was lots of fun. We did a lot of family treks, we really enjoyed them. They weren't really extreme, they were more camping trips, but pretty energetic trekking. We were very keen that the kids should learn to enjoy the out-of-doors, enjoy swimming and camping and walking around the hills...