Episode 7543

Extended Summary

The surf carnival is still in full swing. Alf, Leah and Roo discuss how things are going. Irene appears and Alf and Roo point out Gus, the major sponsor and hardware store owner who threatened to sue them, asking her to charm him. Irene goes over and introduces herself. Marilyn tells Leah that Justin hasn’t turned up for his heat so could be disqualified, telling her to “chop chop” to Leah and Roo’s bemusement. At home, Justin is looking at his laptop when he gets Leah’s phone call. He tells her he’s not feeling well and is going to lie down. In fact, he is looking up poison information on double dosing.

Dean is out in the water, with Jai yelling encouragement from the beach. Tane joins Ziggy and they and Amber watch as Dean catches one wave and then another. He joins Amber and Jai and explains that it’s done by points and he isn’t in the final yet. Amber puts sunscreen on Jai. Outside the surf club, Irene expresses surprise that Gus has never been there before and he says donating money is a good tax write-off. He congratulates Alf, who is heading off to get more sausages. Leah tells Roo about Justin and decides to go and check on him.

Leah arrives home and finds Justin sitting on the floor in the bathroom. She wants to take him to the hospital but he snaps at her not to push him. Outside the surf club, John is manning the sausage stand and shares a few words with Amber about Dean. Roo tells Amber that Dean’s made the final. Tane wishes Ziggy luck and then asks Amber what he should be looking out for, only to find she doesn’t know either. Ziggy takes the stage alongside another competitor, rapidly surfing over the waves.

Leah joins Justin in the bedroom. She is worried about how much pain he’s in. Justin admits he messed up and took double his dose of painkillers in order to surf, only for it to stop him competing. Leah still thinks he should see a doctor but Justin convinces her to just lie down with him. Meanwhile, Gus is boring Irene with DIY details. He offers to get her a slice of cake and she explains that she made it. Marilyn is using her whistle to shepherd people down to the beach, to Alf and Roo’s frustration.

Amber and Tane are having a drink together in Salt and discussing how they’ve both moved on from one-night stands, with a pair of exes. Tane assures her he’s happy with Ziggy and they’re solid. Meanwhile, Dean and Jai are watching Ziggy as Marilyn calls in the competitors. Amber returns with drinks but Dean’s attention is soon on Ziggy as she is greeted by Tane.

Dean, Amber and Jai sit down with sausages and Amber sends Jai to put something in the bin. Amber mentions what Ziggy said about surf competitions and suggests the three of them do it. Dean dismisses the idea, saying Amber doesn’t surf, and leaves. Meanwhile, Leah has made Justin some food but again tries to get him to see a doctor. She notices he only has a week’s supply of painkillers left and pushes him to make an appointment with the doctor. Justin yells at her to stop, then says the medication’s made him irritable. Leah tells him about Marilyn. Amused, Justin hands her his phone to make the appointment.

Mariyn wonders where her whistle is and Roo plays innocent. John briefly chats with Alf, then hears Gus telling Irene that there’s no fool like an old fool and John should have known Susie wasn’t interested in him. After John’s gone, Irene says that Susie played John and reminds Gus Susie also convinced him to hand money over. Outside, Alf is announcing the winners, ending with the female and male champions: Ziggy and Dean. A crowd including John, Roo, Marilyn and Jai cheer them. Dean takes the Movie World tickets and Ziggy ones to Hunter Valley. They hold hands in celebration and Amber asks an unsure-looking Tane if they’re really solid.

Inside, Alf and Dean among others are clearing up. John calls everyone’s attention and thanks them for their work in making the competition a success after his mistakes, specifically thanking Alf, Roo and Dean. Marilyn apologises to Roo for losing the whistle and Roo explains Alf took it, with Marilyn realising she got carried away. John calls everyone’s attention again, saying he’s inviting them round to his for a barbecue, before adding that they can’t let the extra sausages Alf brought go to waste. Irene wryly notes that he’s back. Up in Salt, Ziggy is gushing to Tane about the prize but Tane cuts her short, asking why she and Dean aren’t still together…