Historical information

Tom Mitchell was a strong supporter of trans-Tasman ski competitions and in the early 1950s visits between local clubs became common. In 1953 a team from New Zealand visited Falls Creek for the first time. This was only a few months after Edmund Hillary and Nepalese Sherpa Tenzig Norgay became the first climbers confirmed to have reached the summit of Mount Everest.
Toni St. Elmo, supported by Tom Mitchell proposed that a peak on the Bogong High Plains northwest of Mt. Nelse should be named Mt. Hillary in honour of the New Zealander's success. He also suggested a ceremony should be held during the visit of members of the New Zealand Ski team to Australia in September 1953.
This image from the St. Elimo Collection held by the Falls Creek Historical Society, represents the planting of a New Zealand flag on the mountain during the ceremony.

Significance

This image is significant because it is part of the St. Elmo Collection which documents early pioneers of Falls Creek and their outstanding contribution to skiing in Australia.

Physical description

A coloured image of two skiers carrying a New Zealand flag across the High Plains.

Inscriptions & markings

Beneath the image:
Tony St Elmo and Tom Mitchell ski out across Bakers Spur to plant a flag on Mt Hillary in 1953, north of Mt Nelse, and which now seems to have been lost off the map.
Pic - The St Elmo Collection.