George Christensen (Dawson, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is with great sadness that I rise to pay tribute to an exceptional man from Mackay in my electorate who died last night chasing a dream he had been pursuing for much of his life. Francesco Marchetti, better known as Frank, died on the Tibetan side of Mount Everest, with the official word from the Tibet mountaineering association being that he breathed his last at an altitude of 7,500 metres. His wife, Sandy, was told that Frank had reached the height of 8,600 metres. If this is correct, he was so close—no more than 250 metres from the summit. Frank was forced to descend to lower camps due to altitude sickness and, sadly, did not recover.

Frank Marchetti was not reckless or foolhardy. He was meticulous about planning and preparation. He had put 16 years of research into this. It was his fourth visit to Everest and the second time he went to tackle the summit. He was trekking with a group in 2015 when the region was hit by a severe earthquake. Still, he wanted to go back and conquer that mountain. Frank Marchetti was a true gentleman and a high achiever. He was a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve, a great photographer, a diver, a hiker and a runner—a leader in many fields. He was a much-loved husband to Sandy and father to Alyce and Brenton. He was also a great adventurer who thrived on challenge. Frank Marchetti, we salute you.