The 75-year-old is passionate about sculling and is currently coaching Burnside under-17 single-sculler Theo Giannakogiorgos to the Maadi Cup where he finished fourth earlier this year.
Little commenced rowing in the 1950s with Shirley Boys’ High School as a 16-year-old.
He has been a member of the Union Rowing Club ever since where he is a life member and club patron.
He has trained as a member of the 1964 NZ Tokyo Olympic crew.
Unfortunately, he was one of two reserves on race day with the eight finishing in 11th.
He competed for Canterbury in the inter-provincial eights.
He had been rowing double and singles and was third in the premier (then senior class) singles at the 1963 national championships.
Little rowed in a coxless pair for three years with Ron Satherley and after several attempts in both the coxless pair and later a coxed pair, the combination finished second each time in the premier event to Wybo Veldman and the late Warren Cole.
In his last season, marred by an appendix operation, he and Tim Armstrong finished third in the premier double sculls with no real training behind them.
After a 10-year break Little turned to coaching focusing and developing a youth eight within the URC Club.
He took another brief break after this stint then returned in October 1985 looking after Shirley Boys’ High rowing and again with URC.
Little was involved with several age-group New Zealand crews.
He has given generously of his time over the years to holding sculling schools for all Canterbury Rowing Association club members.
He has coached at Christchurch Boys’ High School in recent years, this being acknowledged at the school’s recent prize-giving for the Maadi Cup victories with Little having developed many of the crew in their formative rowing years.
Little has coached URC athletes to NZ representative level and has been heavily involved in the coaching of a large masters contingent affiliated to URC.
Little was part of the inaugural safety team at Lake Ruataniwha for many years while his wife, Merryl was a permanent fixture in the coxswains weigh-in shed.
