It was with great sadness that we learnt of the passing of Graham following a fall at his home on 7th. April. Graham Trevor Ball (known as G.T. at school) and I had been close friends in the 60s at Belfairs High School and latterly, at Westcliff High School where we took our GCE A levels. We shared many interests during this period in performed and recorded music, literature, economics, current affairs, cars, playing cards and of course drinking. With our close friends Pete Holman and Clive Woods we shared many escapades together.
 
Graham went to Plymouth to pursue a career in journalism and I to Manchester to pursue a career in town planning.  However, we continued our close friendship and I   visited Graham in Plymouth and Totnes and with Denise, my future wife, we stayed with him and other journalists on the Daily Mirror training course living in Tavistock and also went on a comping holiday with him to Biarritz and Paris in 1971.
 
In August 1972, Graham was best man at our wedding in Southampton where he needed the consumption of G & Ts to give a speech with his characteristic panache!
 
  
Graham, as well as Pete H and Clive came to Manchester in 1972 and for a couple of years we continued to share our interests before Fleet Street called and his journalist life style provided him with many new adventures. Graham married Tessa and moved to Loughton, Essex. Thereafter, we drifted apart pursuing our careers, marriages and friendships in new locations.
 
Graham was a great inspiration and knew how to enjoy life. I recall the close friendship we had and the happy hours spent together indulging in tarot cards and speculating on our futures. We send our sympathy and condolences to Tessa, Oscar, Thomas & Rebecca at the passing of Graham. We empathise with your loss. We lost our son Keaton just before his 24th. birthday 3 years ago, also to a fall, at Lake Como in Italy. The shock, grief and loss continue to stay with us.
 
Peter & Denise Emery