THIS ARTICLE REFERENCES THE UNMISSABLE DRAMA THAT OCCURRED DURING THE EPISODE THAT AIRED ON MONDAY 4th DECEMBER 2023
Former Erinsborough High student Summer Hoyland is now a hot-shot radio presenter and can sniff out a good story, so when invited by Wendy and Nicolette to cover the Erinsborough High protests, she couldn’t refuse.
During her broadcast she talked about the history of the school and spoke with many former students and teachers who told their stories of their time at Erinsborough High and how it shaped their lives.
She starts of by speaking to Michelle Scully, daughter of Lyn and sister to Steph, about her time at the school.
She tells about the bullying she suffered when she first arrived at the school and that then-principal, Susan Kennedy, helped support her, build her confidence and help her face her bullies. Michelle believed this helped her grow.
“That experience set me up for life, it means I have never been a victim, I know how to stand up for myself and for others as well.”
Next, Melissa Jarrett filled us in on her time at the school and how it shaped her future. Although Melissa didn’t live on Ramsay Street, from 1989-1991 she was part of the teen gang that included Todd Landers, Cody Willis and Josh Anderson.
Melissa originally dated Todd, eventually ending up with Josh. Josh and Cody had previously been a couple, with Cody and Josh eventually dating. Both Cody and Todd died in the show, Todd died in 1992 after being run over by a van, Cody was shot by a stray bullet after a drugs bust went wrong on Ramsay Street in 1996.
Despite the trauma of losing 2 close friends at a young age, the grief bought her closer to her boyfriend and best friend, Josh, Melissa revealing that they have been married for 20 years!
Brett Stark lived on Ramsay Street with his mother, Cheryl Stark, and his sister Danni from 1993-1996. He is revealed to now be married and running a not-for-profit in Tanzania, providing solar power solutions to remote communities. He credits Erinsborough High with inspiring him and making him fall in love with Africa. During his time as a student at Erinsborough High he won a trip to Kenya as part of a World Vision essay competition and Susan Kennedy joined him as a chaperone. During that trip Susan confided in Brett that she had actually helped her mother to die. Years before, with her mother in agony as she battled illness, she agreed to euthanise her to prevent her suffering, a secret Susan had never told anyone before. Luckily, Brett didn’t share that story during his radio interview.
We also saw Richie Amblin, who was a student up to 2020, telling protesters about his experience at the school and a protest he was involved in regarding Mackenzie Hargreaves, who had been banned from using the girls toilets at the school. As the security team came to disperse the crowds, Richie ended up getting dragged away feet first by a pair of guards.
With students from many different eras of the show turning up to share their love for the building, will it be enough to strike change? It is always good to catch up with past Ramsay Street residents and see what they have been up to since we last saw them. We will get another couple of doses of nostalgia as 2 more former characters reappear in tomorrow’s episode.
Episodes drop at 7am Monday-Thursday on Amazon Freevee and Amazon Prime Video.