Susan Band

Most of the events in the life of Mrs Susan George Band, revolved around her husband. George Band, a leading mountaineer of his time and the youngest member of the 1953 Everest expedition, who made the first ascent of Kangchenjunga in 1955.

“I had to wait till George finished his mountain climbing”, said Susan Goodenough, her family name, in an Oral History recording with me. Susan was working at the British Embassy at the Hague when George was sent there by Shell, the firm he worked for, to train as a petroleum engineer. She says that as George had no mountains to go to, he and friends were gravitating towards the young ladies working at the Embassy. That is where they first met. “I knew nothing about mountains and had not met any mountaineer. When he told me about Everest and Kangchenjunga, I had to imagine what that meant.” She had never climbed a hill and it never occurred to her that a mountain should be climbed! She walked in 4-inch-high spike shoes.

Susan, well conversant in German and Dutch worked at the London Foreign office and was later deputed to Holland. That’s when things began to happen. George proposed and they were soon married in London in 1959 at the family church. The first mountaineer friend she met was Lord Hunt and soon others followed. Then on, mountains became a part of her life though in the shadow of George Band. After the wedding, a Dutch paper interviewed them and asked if she would go climbing: “I don’t know” was her crisp reply.

Soon after their marriage they were sent by Shell to USA. On returning to UK they set up a new home. This was followed by a posting to Malaysia and thereon regular transfers to Bangladesh, Oman, Basra till that phase was over. On his return, George became the President of the Alpine Club and was responsible to find a new home for the Club.

Inevitable Himalayan treks followed, and she especially enjoyed meeting hill people. They were in southeast Nepal in 2005. At Taplejung, en route to Kangchenjunga Base Camp, villagers requested them to start a school for them, in line with Hillary’s school for the Sherpas. They worked through the Himalayan Trust, especially Susan, to see it through. She visited Taplejung in 2009 again to see the school.

In 1995, Susan and George visited Mumbai for the celebration of 40th year of ascent of Kangchenjunga. We had a wonderful time together, going on a boat ride in the Mumbai harbour, walking in the Western Ghats and all the celebrations.

By the year 2000, George was detected with Prostate Cancer and was getting weaker. Susan was his primary caregiver and oversaw all his needs, though she adds, “despite the illness George was self-sufficient almost till his end”. His desired to attend the 50th Anniversary of the First Ascent of Everest in 1953 and Susan made it possible for him, in a way the climax of their married life.

George passed away in 2011 and was buried near the local church. Few years later I was in London and Susan invited me to visit her home. She walked me around and took me to the Church and the grave of George. She sat there contemplatively and forbade me from taking a picture of her there. Later we met again at London when Martin Scott had invited friends for a party.

Susan was involved in many activities for local village. On the Remembrance Day, 11th November, she would be present for the local parade. She would proudly wear the Khukri Badge of the Gorkha Regiment (a curved knife carried by the Gorkha soldier), I had presented to her in the memory of my son, Lt Nawang Kapadia, (she had met him) a Gorkha soldier, who was killed on the same date in the year 2000. Meticulous, as she was, I would receive an email soon thereafter about the parade, and that she wore the badge. I would remember her always on the Remembrance Day for this.

Harish Kapadia