The 1989 season

[adam436]

5 hours ago, cymbaline said:

I'm glad you touched on the "community feel" of Home and Away. That was one of the things I really liked about the 1988 season. Summer Bay felt more like an actual town, with people who had been there forever. Even Donald Fisher, who I assume was a blow-in, was well and truly settled there. Keeping that aspect was always going to be a challenge once actors started to come and go, but it's a shame it was lost. 

As well as the regulars, we had the likes of the Barnetts, the Patterson, Nico, Colleen who gave it the community feel and were long-term residents, plus Celia's friends/church community. Even when cast and came went, semi-regulars like those could have stayed in some capacity. Anyone in the 90s in such a capacity was generally a police officer (Chris Hale, Terri Garner) or came in for a storyline and then left again. The Barlows were long-term residents too, plus pilot characters Doris Peters and Mr Baldivis. Even though we rarely saw the last two, they were often referred to. 

It had the community feel that other small town dramas like A Country Practice and Blue Heelers, in which the regulars came and went, but the guest cast were generally long-term residents. 

 

 

5 hours ago, cymbaline said:

I wonder was the introduction of the twentysomething locals such as Rob, Donna and Travis an attempt to recapture that original magic. 

Chloe also arrived around the same time, and I think her and her dad were locals too. Vinnie was a few years after them, but didn't he grow up in the area too? Or was it Yabbie Creek or Mangrove River? I'd never thought of it that way, but it's an interesting theory.

It certainly helped to integrate them, especially Donna and Rob. Funnily enough Rob exited pretty much the same way he entered - as a "background" Summer Bay resident. 

[CaptainHulk]

The Bunyip crap tainted it.

1 hour ago, adam436 said:

As well as the regulars, we had the likes of the Barnetts, the Patterson, Nico, Colleen who gave it the community feel and were long-term residents, plus Celia's friends/church community. Even when cast and came went, semi-regulars like those could have stayed in some capacity. Anyone in the 90s in such a capacity was generally a police officer (Chris Hale, Terri Garner) or came in for a storyline and then left again. The Barlows were long-term residents too, plus pilot characters Doris Peters and Mr Baldivis. Even though we rarely saw the last two, they were often referred to. 

It had the community feel that other small town dramas like A Country Practice and Blue Heelers, in which the regulars came and went, but the guest cast were generally long-term residents. 

 

 

Chloe also arrived around the same time, and I think her and her dad were locals too. Vinnie was a few years after them, but didn't he grow up in the area too? Or was it Yabbie Creek or Mangrove River? I'd never thought of it that way, but it's an interesting theory.

It certainly helped to integrate them, especially Donna and Rob. Funnily enough Rob exited pretty much the same way he entered - as a "background" Summer Bay resident. 

Mangrove River. Apparently Stella lives over there.

On 29/11/2025 at 16:44, cymbaline said:

They changed the girls' school uniform in 1989, discarding the drab blue one. It didn't add to the drama one way or the other, but it became the best-known costume from the show. 

 

They had to reshoot one Stevo/Carly dialogue flashback in #374 where the latter was wearing 1989's uniform. Maybe they lost the clip? 

It just stuck out.