Harold Earle Riddiford (13 October 1921 – 26 June 1989) was a New Zealand mountaineer, lawyer and farmer who went on three mountaineering expeditions to the Himalayas in the 1950s; the first New Zealand expedition to the

Garhwal Himalaya The Garhwal Himalayas are mountain ranges located in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Geology This range is also a part of Himalaya Sivalik Hills, the outer most hills of the Himalaya located in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Major peaks ...

in 1951, the 1951 British Mount Everest reconnaissance expedition, and the disastrous 1952 British Cho Oyu expedition. Two New Zealanders from the four on the

expedition were invited to join the 1951 British expedition; Ed Cotter declined, but Riddiford and

George Lowe George Edward Lowe (born November 10, 1957) is an American voice actor and comedian whose voice roles include Space Ghost on the animated series ''Space Ghost Coast to Coast'' and its spin-off, ''Cartoon Planet''.Edmund Hillary Sir Edmund Percival Hillary (20 July 1919 – 11 January 2008) was a New Zealand mountaineer, explorer, and philanthropist. On 29 May 1953, Hillary and Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers confirmed to have reached t ...

(who had money from working on a South Island hydroelectric project) joined. The leader of the 1952 British Cho Oyu expedition was

Eric Shipton Eric Earle Shipton, CBE (1 August 1907 – 28 March 1977), was an English Himalayan mountaineer. Early years Shipton was born in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in 1907 where his father, a tea planter, died before he was three years old. When he was eigh ...

, who was disorganised and left the ordering of supplies to Riddiford. But Riddiford injured his back on Cho Oyo (while rolling rocks down the mountain with the Sherpas) so did not return to the Himalayas. He climbed in New Zealand until the 1970s, when he experienced heart problems (angina attacks). Riddiford was a cousin of MP

Dan Riddiford Daniel Johnston Riddiford (11 March 1914 – 26 October 1974) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party. Biography Early life Riddiford was born in Featherston in 1914 a grandson of "King" Riddiford and Sydney Johnston of Oruawha ...

, who helped the family financially when his father, Frederick Earle Riddiford (1890–1921), died aged 33 in a woolshed accident. He was able to go to Hadlow Preparatory School; then

Wanganui Collegiate School Whanganui Collegiate School (formerly Wanganui Collegiate School; see here) is a state-integrated, coeducational, day and boarding, secondary school in Whanganui, Manawatū-Whanganui region, New Zealand. The school is affiliated to the Anglican c ...

(1935–1938). He studied law at the

University of Canterbury The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was ...

and then practiced law in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

. He served in the 2NZEF in World War II, with Army Intelligence in the Pacific. He climbed in Canterbury from 1941, when he climbed

Mount Sefton Mount Sefton ( Māori: Maukatua) is a mountain in the Aroarokaehe Range of the Southern Alps of New Zealand, just south of Aoraki / Mount Cook. To the south lies Mount Brunner, and to the north The Footstool, both more than shorter. The mo ...

. In 1952 he was asked to join the Wellington law firm his uncle was in. Later he became a partner in the law firm. With his wife Rosemary, he bought the 3850 ha Orongorongo (sheep) Station between Pencarrow Head and Palliser Bay (previously owned by the Riddiford family from 1845, and now a tourist lodge) in 1963, and farmed it until 1986, commuting to the Wairarapa in the weekends. He died in Wellington, and was survived by his wife Rosemary (née Johnston) and four children.

References

Sources

* * Obituary in '' The Evening Post'', 28 June 1989, p. 3 {{DEFAULTSORT:Riddiford, Earle 1921 births 1989 deaths New Zealand mountain climbers People educated at Whanganui Collegiate School 20th-century New Zealand lawyers Earle 20th-century New Zealand farmers