Thirty years after Childe's death we reviewed his persisting relevance (Gathercole 1987). Twenty-two more years have since passed, and we are pleased to see that his achievements have been reviewed again – in a special monograph (Saville 2009). Here Peter Gathercole admires the continuing modernity and ethical strength of his mentor's ideas, seasoning his reflections with some personal memories. Readers are invited to send us their own memories and tributes of Peter himself, who died on 11 October 2010 and will be much missed.