Home and Away Spoilers – John and Alf go head to head for the Surf Club presidency
Coming up next week on Home and Away in the UK, Alf is left distraught when John Palmer wins his battle for the Surf Club presidency. Will he gracefully concede to his friend?
Alf Stewart (Ray Meagher) has made little to no effort to keep his place as Surf Club president. Having held the position for decades, he couldn’t even imagine why he’d need to write a speech to convince the committee members to vote for him again – as far as he was concerned, it was a done deal.
That was until Susie McAllister (Bridie Carter) came along. She quickly convinced John Palmer (Shane Withington) that it was time for change, and that he could be the man to enact it! While John initially laughed off the idea that he could take over Alf’s position as president, it didn’t take long for Susie to massage his ego and make him contemplate the idea that the whole of the Surf Club could be under his control.
Caught up in the power trip, and in his new whirlwind romance with Susie, John hasn’t even considered how the move could affect his friendship with Alf.
The Summer Bay stalwart has had a rough time of late, with Kieran’s apparence in Summer Bay, and subsequent disappearance, testing his relationship with wife Martha to its limits. He needs the support of his friends and family, and this low move from John is set to make him feel more alone than ever.
Last week saw Susie suggest to John that they organise a dinner at Salt for the Surf Club members, where he can butter them up and pitch his plans for a Palmer-led Club. Susie, who won’t let anyone stand in the way of her plans, rubbed Alf up the wrong way when she gloated about the dinner in front of him, telling him that invitation got lot in the mail.
As we pick up the drama in next week’s episodes, Salt is playing host to a glitzy dinner, with tens of committee members waiting to hear what John has to say. Susie is glued to his side, reminding him to hold off on the business talk until everyone’s had a chance to mingle and had a few drinks. Until then, he just needs to be his charming self.
Despite John’s tendency to embarrass himself with inappropriate stories, Susie’s plan goes off without a hitch. They make a beeline for Gerald, one of the members John considers most likely to defect. According to Susie, it’s a house of cards – once they convince one member, the others will rapidly crumble.
Back at Summer Bay House, Alf is quietly standing out on the veranda mulling over John’s recent actions. When Roo (Georgie Parker) comes out to chat to him, he tells her that he doesn’t like the way John is going about things, and confesses that he’s currently at Salt holding a fancy shindig to lobby the committee.
Roo’s stunned. “Then why are you here and not there? If committee members are invited, then you are too.” It’s the first she’s heard of it, and she doesn’t get why her dad is giving up without a fight.
While Alf thinks his presence would make John think he’s rattled his cage, Roo thinks it’s important that he knows what kind of ideas John has come up with – he needs to know what he’s up against. Alf is still underestimating John, thinking that there’s no point in scrounging around for votes after so many years, but Roo suspects that John stands a good chance.
She heads to the Surf Club herself, taking her seat as the Club President’s proxy. “Can she do that?” questions Susie, but John doesn’t have the foggiest… not wanting to put the event on hold to trawl through the rule book, they’re forced to let Roo stay.
The golden couple are clearly thrown as Roo interrupts them mid-speech, but they continue. John gives his thanks to everyone for attending, and comments that it’s not very often that they all get to come together and socialise – perhaps something that could change under new leadership.
He proposes upgraded facilities, better equipment, and a bigger focus on youth projects. A membership drive would bring in increased income, and Gerald pipes up that he’s been telling Alf that for years. That gives John the perfect opportunity for his first jab – “Steady on there Gerald, Alf runs two businesses, he can’t focus on the bigger picture.”
Throwing in that Alf’s second home is in Merimbula, he pitches himself as the person who can give Summer Bay 100% of their time. Roo is stunned as John gets a rapturous applause. By throwing Alf under the bus, has he won them over?
The following day, it’s decision time. There’s some final flyering from John, as Alf nonchalantly watches on. After Roo told him about last night’s antics at Salt, he’s finally realised that he might not actually win, but does his best to hide his feelings.
However, there’s one moment where Alf makes it clear he’s not impressed. John amiably approaches him to wish him luck, with a jaunty “may the best man win” and the offer of a handshake. Yet Alf rejects him, an uncharacteristic moment of un-sportsman-like behaviour as he leaves John’s outstretched hand in mid-air and walks off. John is stunned.
Then, it’s time for the big vote.
John wins! Alf is ousted, and John Palmer is the new President of the Summer Bay Surf Lifesaving Club.
There’s cheering and celebration aplenty, but while Alf is hurt, he puts his feelings to one side, congratulates John and shakes his hand.
Susie, meanwhile, is elated. The man she is deceiving now has full control over the Surf Club – what does she have planned next?
Meanwhile, the fallout from Lewis and Christian’s blowout continues.
At the end of last week, Lewis (Luke Arnold) exploded at Christian (Ditch Davey) in the hospital, finally revealing that Christian contributed to the worst day of his life when his negligent behaviour caused him to lose his wife.
Now, Christian finally knows why Summer Bay’s newest nurse has been so frosty towards him. However, he’s been racking his brains, but simply cannot remember Lewis’s wife Anna, or whether his own actions in some way contributed to her death.
Lewis is glad that the truth is out in the open, but feels embarrassed that he shouted at a doctor in front of the whole department – maybe he should just resign? But Jasmine assures him he did the right thing, and the truth had to come out eventually.
Back at the Morgan house, Christian and Tori (Penny McNamee) look up Anna’s records. Finding them finally brings the memory of the case flooding back to Christian… but there’s one more major shock, a fact that Lewis hasn’t told anyone, not even Jasmine (Sam Frost). His wife was pregnant!
Later on, the inevitable happens and the two couples bump into each other. Leaving the safety of their girlfriends behind, the two men head to Salt to sit down and discuss Anna’s case.
Christian explains that Anna’s injuries were extensive, but that they fought with everything they had. When Christian left the hospital, he was hopeful… but then it all went wrong. However, he assures Lewis that even if he had still been there, it wouldn’t have changed the outcome.
Yet Lewis clearly still has anger – when Christian laments that “losing your wife and your child, no-one should have to live through that”, there’s a glare and a terse reply of “No, they shouldn’t”.
Yet Lewis’s behaviour softens when Christian apologises for not remembering Anna’s case. “I’m sorry. And I wish I could have saved her, Lewis.”
When Lewis debriefs to Jasmine, he’s stunned at what just went down. The last thing he expected from an egomaniac like Christian was an apology. “He wasn’t supposed to apologise. He’s arrogant, and dangerous. He takes risks to feed his own ego. He doesn’t say he’s sorry. He doesn’t care!”
Two years Lewis has spent hating Christian, blaming him for his wife’s death. Now he believes Christian has apologised for her death, who does he blame now? Or is this the closure he needs?
However, while Lewis thinks Christian apologised for his part in his wife’s death, in Christian’s eyes he simply apologised for the fact that she died… he still doesn’t see himself as to blame. Is their truce set to be short lived?
Here’s the full spoilers for next week’s Home and Away episodes in the UK:
Monday 29th March 2021 (Episode 7501)
Alf and John choose radically different strategies to win the Surf Club election.
Can Christian and Lewis find a way to work together?
Tuesday 30th March 2021 (Episode 7502)
Alf struggles with the idea he might lose the election.
Jasmine and Lewis are sheepish following their kiss.
Justin and Leah decide to take a big step forward together.
Wednesday 31st March 2021 (Episode 7503)
Dean makes an offer to Amber.
Worried about appearances, Tane is honest with Ziggy.
Alf’s new free time has put Martha in a tizz.
Thursday 1st April 2021 (Episode 7504)
Ari’s old feelings for Mia are stirred up and he’s faced with a choice – Mia or Mackenzie?
Ryder and Chloe’s constant fighting reaches new heights, ruining Bella and Nikau’s alone time.
Friday 2nd April 2021 (Episode 7505)
Mackenzie tells Ziggy a shocking secret.
Ari begins to win over a tempted Mia.
Bella and Nikau’s attempt to unite Chloe and Ryder takes an unexpected twist.
Leah and Justin’s house hunting hits a snag.