David and Steve, I hope if you are reading this you will get in touch some time email sue.ryan@rmit.edu.au We have been out of touch too long, and I am moving to Egypt later this year, so would like to reconnect before more life passes us by. I have fond memories of Uncle Graham. Aunty Ro was the person I was closest to in my family, who I felt was most kindred spirit to me, though we often lived distances apart. As a child I spent some school holidays with your family (do you remember your pet mouse we had to take to get a shot for something that was ailing it?) Ro and Graham I belive were responsible for my love of literature, and definitely my early career as a poet, and probably why I am still working as a writer and also now in a university. I would probably never have been brave enough to publish anything if not for their early encouragment). While my own home had a small collection of books, Graham and Ro had a library, and I loved Graham's study where most of the books were; that was where I first read Shakespeare (way before we studied it in High School). Ro and continued to swap favourite authors and books la ter in life. I never did get to read her thesis, so if anyone has a copy, I would love to some day. Both Ro and Graham were inspirational to me and probably never knew just how much. So I use this space to say thanks to both of them, love Sue Ryan

This is something I wrote to the organisers of a Fort Street Boys Reunion (Class of 1960 - to be held in September) after I learned that Graham had died. "I'm sad to learn that Graham Little has died. I remember him from Drama and English - he did a couple of great plays for Drama Night. But my real experience with him when I was teaching in Woodenbong. I had just been appointed as Relieving English/History Master in 1968 after only three years of teaching when the Principal told us we were up for a full school inspection. I had just written some English programs of which I was rather proud - they were based on my professional reading of developments in England which seemed to me to be way ahead of where Australia was. But the Boss told me to change them for the inspection. After a long talk with myself I decided not to - in the arrogance of youth I thought I could defend my program against anyone. But as the day of the inspection arrived I had severe doubts. Then I found that the English person on the panel was Graham Little! I went to introduce myself to him, but he beat me to it. He remembered me! He called for my programs and spent the morning poring over them, than suggested we sit out on the lawn at lunchtime for 'a chat'. You can imagine how nervous I felt! But in fact he was all smiles and congratulations! He had returned only a couple of years before from a conference in England - the Anglo-American Seminar on the Teaching of English held at Dartmouth College in 1966, and generally known just as 'The Dartmouth Conference'. I had read all the proceedings and it was the basis of the programs I had written - the ones the Boss was so fidgety about. But Graham was beside himself. He said that since he'd returned to Australia he had not come across many Head Teachers who had any idea of new developments in the teaching of English, and that here he was in little ol' Woodenbong (pop. < 500) talking to an ex-student of his in only his fourth year of teaching who was, in his words (I treasure them still) "leading the state in the teaching of English"! You can appreciate why I was such a supporter of his after that." Please accept my belated condolences. He certainly was a friend and inspiration to many.