The death of Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to conquer Mount Everest, will be felt around the world. Sir Hillary who was 88, died on Friday, he will be honoured in his native New Zealand with a state funeral.

Many have followed in his footsteps to the top of the world, but the achievement of the inspirational figure cannot be underestimated.

One man who knows exactly how ground-breaking Sir Hillary's achievement actually was is Neill Elliott from Ballinamallard, who along with Fergal Corrigan from Trillick and Raymond Hassard from Churchill created their own chapter in history when they scaled Everest in May 2006.

Reflecting on the climber's death, Neill acknowledged Sir Hillary's achievements: "It is sad to see him go. He was the first one to go there and was a pioneer in that respect. "

When Sir Edmund, along with Sherpa Tenzing Norgay reached the top of Everest on 29 May 1953, they were the first people to reach the top and make the journey back down safely. Neill continued: "We have read a lot about his expedition over the years. It was a great achievement what they did. It was a real expedition back in those days. It's easy to follow where someone has already been, but it's a hell of a lot more difficult to go where no one has ever been or not to know what is in front of you." He added: "Also, the equipment they had was total rubbish as well. It was extremely heavy and not particularly warm either, in comparison to the modern gear we had.

"There has been quite a few who have climbed Everest since, but they were the first who got to the top. He also did a lot of work for the Sherpa people, even in later times, building schools for them and things, so he was a good guy in that respect."