Douglas in his electronic music studio (the first is New Zealand), set up after I left Wellington.

Douglas was my harmony teacher briefly at the beginning of my music studies. I had already completed my maths degree and so came to the music department with considerably more listening background than the rest of the students and had already had some pieces performed in the music department while a maths student. Douglas had an aura of great sensitivity for me and also a friendliness that made me feel his door was always open if I wanted to show him what I had written. He would play my pieces through on the piano and question this and that—I was always impressed at how this great composer took my immature attempts so seriously. Later, after I had had my Reading Gaol performed at the Cambridge Music School, he looked at the score and arranged for it to be recorded by the then National Orchestra under John Hopkins.