'I’m embracing this challenge': Retired Limerick teacher takes on Everest charity hike

A NEWLY retired school principal from Croagh is set to swap the classroom for the Himalayas this April as he takes on the Everest Base Camp Trek — all in aid of his former school in Rathkeale.

Niall West, who retired last October after decades in education, has already raised over €900 of his €1,100 target for Church Street National School. The fundraiser will support the small rural school where he once studied as a pupil, later returned as a teacher in 1999, and went on to serve as principal from 2007 until his retirement.

Speaking ahead of the two-week trek in Nepal, the 55-year-old said the challenge has been on his mind for years. “After many years of dreaming about it, I’m finally setting out on the Everest Base Camp Trek this April. Having retired last October, I’m embracing this challenge.”

“About 15 years ago I climbed Kilimanjaro, and I suppose Everest Base Camp was always the next one in my mind. But the timing never really fitted in with school,” he added.

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Following his retirement, Mr West decided the time was finally right. He will undertake the challenge with friend Andrew Erasmus, an accountant whom he first met on a cycling trip in Vietnam over a decade ago.

The pair plan to travel in April, a period that suits both schedules and coincides with the start of the Everest climbing season.

Reaching Everest Base Camp will involve approximately two weeks of trekking at high altitude in the Himalayas.Mr West admitted he feels both excitement and apprehension ahead of the trip. “One of the most nervy things will be the short flight into Lukla Airport, which is a small little airport on the mountainside. I think it's classed as one of the world's most dangerous airports.”

Trekkers are restricted to carrying just 10kg of luggage, including a sleeping bag, for the duration of the journey. “There won’t be a whole lot of changes of clothes,” he added. In preparation, Mr West has been walking and hiking locally whenever possible, although winter weather has limited training opportunities in recent weeks.

For him the challenge represents both a personal milestone and an opportunity to give back to a school that has played a central role in his life. “It has been a very big part of my life,” he said. “It's nice to be able to give something back.”

Mr West concluded: “Church Street National School has been my community for decades... It has given me so much, and this trek is my way of saying thank you.” Donations to the fundraiser can be made by searching for ‘Everest Base Camp Trek in aid of Church Street NS’ on gofundme.com.