Homeandawayfan.

Phil, Colleen, Stacey, Jeff, Gary and Alison were just supporting characters yet seemed to be elevated to main character status, even for a couple of months or so. Mervin Baldivis was a distant relative of Martha Stewart (Nee Baldivis) but Martha's dad was Jack, and Mervin was just probably a distant family member. Viv Standish never stated that she was a relative of Walter, but she may have been a relative. Just because someone did not state it onscreen, does not make it untrue. Walter was just a guest character but I am sure he is a cousin or 2nd cousin of Viv, meaning Ric and Owen are also related to the Summer Bay Nutter lol.

Walter's mother was mentioned when Walter went to an old house that his mother used to live at. Was that the Old Standish Place? Interesting if so, and I would think Walt was related to Viv if that is the case.

I think they filmed in Brisbane when Bobby and Frank went to see John Farnham and invited him to Summer Bay to see Sally.

Imagine if Tom and Michael had met? Michael first appeared a few months after Tom died I think.

Alf was 45 in 1988, and 47 in 1995. Hope I age as slowly as that. I think Don was about the same age as the actor when the show begun, as he had been teaching for 25 years by 1988 (started teaching about 1963), yet later sources say he was born in 1945, thus making him just 18 when he started teaching - rather young. Sloppily researched storylines that tie in with storylines of the 1980s and 1990s happen too. Martha retcon for example. Roo's recast works for me as she was away for 21 years. As I said, the longer the character is away, the more a recast works. Unlike Pippa who booked a last minute appointment at the head transplant clinic in 1990 and was seen straight away, and was OK by the next morning and back at Summer Bay.

The 1996 earthquake must have moved Summer Bay about 99 miles closer to Yabbie Creek.

John played Dave Porter in 1990, a minor character now lost in the mists of time. He appeared from Eps 482-489, 30 years ago. Nicola Quilter appeared in 1 episode in 1989 in 1 scene before returning 5 years later as Donna Bishop, a regualr role. Jeff Truman played Sam Barlow then Matthew Thompson a few years later. Both were guest characters anyway.

Luke Cunningham is not a very memorable character anyway. He has no ties to current Summe Bay, and only knew Alf and Irene. If Kathryn Ridley returned to H&A as a different character to Alison Patterson then some may find it jarring but 31 years has passed since Alison was in The Bay. It would be different if Shane Withington left and the returned as a different character to Palmer a year or 2 later. The more years elapsing, the more a recast can work.

It was a nod to Les McKeown's Bay City Rollers. I quite liked the Summer Bay City Rollers.

I thought Alf got a letter from her in the middle of 1988, when Roo was heavily pregnant with Martha. Alf found out just after he married Ailsa I think. This happened offscreen. This was probably before Alf had a row with Ailsa where he said she may stab him if he crossed her, and she fled to Sydney then Singapore.

Ben McPhee looked like Bradley Townsend from Neighbours (a 1986 character, who was once assumed to be Des Clarke's son but this was denied). Also the kid bullying Sally had a rounder face than Justin, so deffo 2 different actors. I hope Amazon prime publish more early years H&A.

Old school H&A fan here who likes Kelly Watson.

I would also say they are 2 totally different people. The young actor playing the bully has a small mark on his right cheek which Justin does not have. Also different looking noses and different facial features. It is the haircut that makes them look similar. A haircut alone can make 2 people look much more alike than with different styles.

Same haircut, although lots of boys had that basin style haircut back then, but same colour and he sounded the same.