http://www.downies.com/aca/pages/catalogue.asp

There are a few interesting New Zealand coins and banknotes to check out.

Sir Edmund Hillary has died aged 88.

He passed away at Auckland City Hospital at 9am this morning.

Sir Edmund shot to international stardom as the first man to scale Mt Everest in 1953.

Prime Minister Helen Clark today described Sir Edmund as the best-known New Zealander to have ever lived and said his passing was a profound loss to New Zealand.

"Sir Ed described himself as an average New Zealander with modest abilities. In reality, he was a colossus," she said.

"He was an heroic figure who not only 'knocked off' Everest but lived a life of determination, humility, and generosity."

He famously said of the ascent, carried out with with sherpa Tenzing Norgay: "We knocked the bastard off."

For a long time Sir Edmund refused to say who reached the summit first, but in his book View From The Summit he eventually made it clear.

"I continued cutting a line of steps upwards," he wrote.

"Next moment I had moved on to a flattish exposed area of snow with nothing but space in every direction. Tenzing quickly joined me and we looked round in wonder. To our immense satisfaction we realised we had reached the top of the world."

The conquest of Everest brought Hillary, then 35, lasting fame which was swiftly recognised when he was knighted on June 6, 1953.

Sir Edmund was typically modest about the award.

"I could see myself walking down Broadway, Papakura, in my tattered overalls and the seat out of my pants, and I thought `That's gone forever. I'll have to buy a new pair of overalls now'."

Miss Clark said Sir Edmund's exploits would continue to inspire new generations of New Zealanders.

In recent years his health had been failing but he made a final visit in January 2007 to Antarctica, the scene of another of his triumphs.

He was made a knight of the Order of the British Empire in 1953 and, 42 years later, the Queen bestowed on him her highest honour - a knighthood in the Order of the Garter.

- NZ HERALD STAFF

Members may wish to look at there respective online catalogues.
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Former Cook Islands PM dies at 90
5:00AM Wednesday July 25, 2007

Sir Thomas Davis.
Former Cook Islands Prime Minister Sir Thomas Davis has died in Rarotonga, aged 90.

Sir Thomas was taken to hospital three days ago and died on Monday, Cook Islands news services reported. The cause of death was not yet known.

Sir Thomas was prime minister between 1978 and 1987. He was knighted in 1981.

A graduate of Otago University in 1945, he was the first Cook Islander to qualify as a doctor in New Zealand. He returned to the Cook Islands as Medical Officer and set about tackling his country's health problems.

In 1952 he went to Harvard University in the US and became a research physiologist, working at one stage for Nasa on the biological aspects of the space programme.

He returned to the newly independent Cook Islands and helped found the Democratic Party in 1971, becoming leader of the Opposition a year later.

During his nine-year tenure as prime minister, he was credited with increasing employment and the average income of Cook Islanders, as well as social and cultural advances.

After retiring from politics, he pursued many other interests and served in Wellington as his country's High Commissioner.

Following that term in 2005, he was honoured by Otago University with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.

Vice-chancellor Professor David Skegg said he was delighted to able to recognise formally Sir Thomas' "lifetime of outstanding achievements of medicine, science and politics.

"The university is very proud to have Sir Thomas among our ranks of distinguished alumni," Professor Skegg said at the time.

Sir Thomas was a keen sportsman, enjoying surfing, boxing and gun-shooting. He loved sports cars and once served a term as president of the Kentucky chapter of the Sports Car Club of America.

- NZPA

There are some outstanding Trading Bank notes, an 'OK' pound, a selection of Wilks star notes in consecutive pairs and singles including some difficult prefixes. There are a large amount of RBNZ pre decimal issues as well as many decimal issues.
The online version of the catalogue is expected to appear sometime in the next few days (noble.com.au)and the hard copy catalogue is due at the printers on monday and should be available from Noble's later next week.
Many of the better banknotes and coins are imaged and the catalogue will be worth having just for them. Earlier catalogues can be accessed through Noble's site. Just sign up and search.
There is plenty of nZ notes to research there.