Episode 4794

Australian Air Date: 19th February 2009
UK Air Date: 5th March 2009

Melody has a surprise encounter with her mother. Aden is faced with a moral dilemma. When Aden can’t support Belle, she turns to the pills.

MELODY JONES (CELESTE DODWELL)
JOEY COLLINS (KATE BELL)
CHRISTINE JONES (LIZ ALEXANDER)
ROBERT ‘ROBBO’ CRUZE (AIDAN GILLETT)
DON GIBSON (STEVE ANDERTON)
DR YOUNG (CHARLIE HOPKINS)
MYRLL RAMSAY (KIM HILLAS)
AUDREY LONG (WENDY PLAYFAIR)

Written by Luke Devenish
Directed by Danny Raco

Extended Summary

Alf and Colleen visit Martha before her breast reconstruction and it pains them both to see her so lonely without Jack at her side. The surgery goes well and in a desperate bid to cheer Martha up Colleen gives her a frock that brought her good luck when she was Martha’s age. Martha is amazed when she sees it – it’s a vintage delight and she loves it. Let’s hope the dress will bring Martha as much luck as it brought Colleen.

Belle’s article on the possible closure of the old people’s home seems doomed. After having to postpone the interview due to car troubles, she turns up today only to be told by an angry resident, Myrll that the council has already decided to close them down. Myrll insists it’s too late to do anything now and shuts the door in Belle’s face. Things look up when Melody tells Belle she knows Myrll from church. Seeing an opportunity, Belle persuades Melody to go with her to try to persuade Myrll to proceed with the interview – it might not be too late to put pressure on the council. Melody agrees but is shocked when she sees her mother there caring for her elderly grandmother.

Overcome and emotional Melody rushes out. Christine later shows up trying to explain. Christine seems to have changed and calmly leaves when Miles asks her to. Melody agrees to go back with Belle and persuades Myrll to go ahead with the interview, but the real reason Melody wants to return is to see her mother again. As Belle interviews Myrll, Melody calmly talks with Christine. Will seeing Christine in a new light change Melody’s mind about her?

The late interview has thrown Belle and she panics about the article. With a looming deadline and Aden too tied up with his new job to give her the support she needs, she turns to a more trustworthy source of comfort – her painkillers.

Meanwhile, Joey Collins, the girl who started on the prawn trawler at the same time as Aden isn’t finding it as easy to fit in as Aden is. Aden’s shocked when she tells him she thinks Lou DeBono is going to choose between the two of them and one of them will be fired. It has been Joey’s dream to work on a prawn trawler but she knows it’s just a job to Aden. Joey can’t compete with a golden boy like Aden so asks him to do her a favour and quit his job so she can keep hers. Will Aden throw in his job to help Joey out?