Rewatching The Early Years

[CaptainHulk]

1 

12 hours ago, nenehcherry2 said:

The older guy Sally saw was Sean Ellis. I can't remember the daughter's name but I can see her face in my mind (don't you just hate memories like that?!). 

I totally agree RE Sally needing time to grow up first. However, it was very in character for her to "want" to take over things at SBH whilst Pip was away. Over her time on the show, she'd developed into the role of the "I've been here the longest and wear the t-shirt" (no rude jokes about Sally's t-shirt fitting please, @CaptainHulk!

Who, me?

What do you take me for, some kind of Boo.. oh how ho ho... you almost had me there! 

Edited July 28, 2024 by CaptainHulk

[adam436]

3 hours ago, cymbaline said:

How many weddings have we seen on H&A which didn't end with a divorce or death? 

I'm pretty sure it's just Travis and Rebecca and Ben and Carly in the early years.

We had a few couples in the 2000s like Robbie and Tasha, Tony and Rachel too, but my memory isn't as great with 2001 onwards so there could be others I don't remember.

Then we've had others where the wedding is part of an exit story like Tori and Christian, Dex and April,  Will and Gypsy (before their return)

 

3 hours ago, cymbaline said:

 I think the weddings which end with the couple splitting up are forgotten more quickly.

I'd agrue it's more to do with how quickly the couple split up (or killed off!). For example, I still fondly remember Donald and Marilyn's wedding, which ended in divorce, but I'd say Frank and Bobby's and James and Chloe's were pretty forgettable.

[cymbaline]

37 minutes ago, adam436 said:

I'd argue it's more to do with how quickly the couple split up (or killed off!). For example, I still fondly remember Donald and Marilyn's wedding, which ended in divorce, but I'd say Frank and Bobby's and James and Chloe's were pretty forgettable.

That's a fair point, though I'd put Donald and Marilyn's wedding in a different bracket to the others. They were long-running characters and an unlikely couple. The other two were couples with somebody settling for the wrong person. 

The non-weddings are much more fun and are probably better remembered for that reason.

[Homeandawayfan.]

3 hours ago, nenehcherry2 said:

Absolutely correct, the month of her birthday seemed to gradually, over time, come earlier in the year. In later 89, she's said to be "almost 10", then it seems to be July for a few years. But, by about 2000, it stays in Feb. 

 

I am wondering if there was an oversight on the writers part and they mixed up Sally's birthday with Leah's as I am sure Leah was born in Feb 1979. Leah did not appear until March 2000 I think but they may have soon got the 2 characters birthdays mixed up.

[cymbaline]

I almost laughed when I watched G'Day Summer Bay and saw Tristan Bancks pick up the show's bible. You'd wonder did anybody ever actually do more than briefly leaf through it? From what I can see, nobody's birthday, anniversary or even age ever stayed consistent. 

[CaptainHulk]

23 hours ago, Homeandawayfan. said:

I am wondering if there was an oversight on the writers part and they mixed up Sally's birthday with Leah's as I am sure Leah was born in Feb 1979. Leah did not appear until March 2000 I think but they may have soon got the 2 characters birthdays mixed up.

Yep, Leah turned 30 in  Feb 2009, where she got SPECTACULARLY drunk (historically a lightweight, some years before she got plastered at a meal and flashed "the twins") and puked all over Roman.

[nenehcherry2]

On 28/07/2024 at 22:30, Homeandawayfan. said:

I am wondering if there was an oversight on the writers part and they mixed up Sally's birthday with Leah's as I am sure Leah was born in Feb 1979. Leah did not appear until March 2000 I think but they may have soon got the 2 characters birthdays mixed up.

This ever-shifting birthday also changed the school year that Sally COULD have been in based on NSW's school intake laws... If born before 31st July 79, she'd have qualified to be in the same school year as Selina, Shannon, Curtis, Jack and Chloe. Though that would have been optional for her if born between 1st Jan - 31st July 79 (as in, her Grandmother could have opted to hold her back for whatever reason). Parents in NSW have flexibility for kids born between those dates, rather like in Scotland (and unlike in England and Wales where the academic year strictly parallels the intake cut-offs: 1st Sept - 31st August).

Sally was smart, so I doubt she was intentionally held back as a young child. I don't think this was ever clarified on-screen, so presumably she was originally supposed to have been born approx late 79 / early 80 and therefore placed in year 3 upon her arrival in the Bay but they kept her school year consistent through to her completing the HSC in 97, despite her moving birthday. Instead, the solution was to skip her a year for Maths only in 95 (so she could be in Steven's classes with the core teen gang once Kate's contract went up to three episodes per week).

Whereas, Sam was most definitely SORASED up by a full school year. There's scenes just before Bobby's death where they state he's in year 4 still and "barely 9" but suddenly he starts year 7 in 95. He was aged up by a full 18 months-2 years-ish in later 94 (not quite as extreme as Duncan!).

To @cymbaline's point, who was reading this damn bible?!

Edited July 30, 2024 by nenehcherry2

[Homeandawayfan.]

Neighbours is also another soap who, like H&A, has never been consistent with characters ages and birthdays. But I guess Prisoner and S&D were the same.

 

Edited July 30, 2024 by Homeandawayfan.

[nenehcherry2]

1 hour ago, Homeandawayfan. said:

Neighbours is also another soap who, like H&A, has never been consistent with characters ages and birthdays. But I guess Prisoner and S&D were the same.

 

Agree!

The one thing H&A was generally consistent with was school years (Sam and Duncan aside). Neighbours didn't get that right often (e.g. Michael Martin and Cody Willis). 

[cymbaline]

Sally's 12th birthday party was in 1991 (Episode 817). You might remember it because she had a hippy-themed party and she kissed a kid called Peter while playing spin the bottle.