Historical Background [Part 1]
Well, I was going to have a report here on how Jo found herself in a spot of bother in the first episode of this week’s bumper double episode night, but after writing the entire thing, I decided to scrap it. Bit of a disappointment, but it was something that just had to be done.

So here I am, late at night on Thursday, in my usual “Night after Blue Heelers” mode, trying to come up with a story for the Gazette. Now that I think about it, why do I watch Blue Heelers?

It was a long time ago now, I can’t remember exactly when it was that I started watching Blue Heelers on a Tuesday night for something different. To give you some indication as to when I started watching, I can remember that this Constable Wayne Patterson fella was helping out a kid that he had somehow got tied up with, and ended up making the ultimate sacrifice to save the child from being hit by a car.

From this time, it went from watching it for something different, to watching it because I was interested in the show. It’s the kind of show that I’ve sort of grown up with now. I’ve seen most of the big things, seen the officers come and go, solved crimes well before any of the cops, seen the love and hatred between some of the most popular people, and even come up with alternative outcomes for episodes.

Lets take a moment to reflect on the past characters of Blue Heelers. Well, first to leave was Wayne Patterson. He was hit by a car, not many people live through that. Then we said our sweet goodbyes to Adam Cooper. He bought a stolen car, never reported it, and ended up getting busted for it. Station joker, Nick Shultz was around for a while. He was certainly the clown of the bunch. After an on-off-on-off relationship with the town doctor Zoe, he married her and moved off to Melbourne.

It seemed to be a while then before another cast member left, but next out was Dash. She was all in line for the Detective’s training course, but made a shock announcement to the station that she was quitting, after her mother was killed in tragic circumstances (yet again, another case of being hit by a car). The most unfortunate departure came next, by Senior Constable Maggie Doyle. Her own brother murdered her because “she knew too much”. She died in PJ’s arms after accepting his proposal to marry her.

Just recently, we have seen Jack Lawson leave the show. He was shot in the back, with a bullet lodged in his spine leaving him a paraplegic. However, this didn’t cause him to leave surprisingly. It was a while after that, and then after an affair with Tess that he was partially responsible for the death of a suspect. He was charged with murder, but then downgraded to manslaughter and ended up somewhere in NSW.

This concludes Part One of my historical report of Blue Heelers. Expect to see more of this in the future when there isn’t much for me to write about.

This has been an exclusive article for The Mount Thomas Gazette. SA Ranger signing off.

- by SA Ranger

Baptism of Fire...
This week's first episode of the "double-episode-blockbuster" was one that tugged at the heart strings. Those of you who are fans of Tess Gallagher (like I am!) would have enjoyed the story more-so, as we saw her struggle through a tough few days at work, and at home. Tess's first day as a foster carer was certainly an explosive day not to be forgotten.

The ethical dilemma... 
Tess was first at the scene of an accident and had to decide whether there was time to extinguish a burning car before it exploded, in order to save the life of a woman trapped inside. Tess ran from the burning car, it exploded, and the woman died. Due to a complaint from the woman's husband, Tess was immediately under scrutiny from the Ethical Standards Committee. Testament to her integrity and willingness to take responsibility for her own actions, Tess was the one who initiated the investigation. 

Character development...
Have the Mount Thomas team begun to completely accept Tess? This episode seems to say "yes". Jonesy was first to defend her actions, and even though Jo had conflicting opinions, she was willing to further the accident investigation to save Tess from losing any chance at fostering Hayley. She also received a great deal of support from PJ and the Boss as she struggled to stay strong for Hayley.

We also saw Tess in a more caring and loving role in this episode, and it was touching for us to hear that Hayley, after her Mum, loves Tess "the best". After a rough childhood, and several intense years working hard to further her career, this could be Tess's chance to give the love she needs.

- Madam Mac, 18.10.2001.

PJ goes fishing...
Yet again Pj upheld his role as the "comic genius" of the Mount Thomas team. In an episode chock-a-block with "no good teenagers", PJ and Tess found themselves searching Mt Thomas for a bloke named "Squid" with a mate called "Aussie".

Though this episode dealt with the real life consequences of crime- a young teen nearly found himself up for a murder charge after he spontaneously assaulted a man during a robbery- on a lighter note, we did witness...

A blossoming romance...
All decked out in his brand new sneakers, shorts and a far from flattering polo shirt, Tom Croydon has been enjoying daily walks with Grace Curtis. This growing fondness between the two can't be a bad thing- it is obvious the two have some kind of spark, and compared with Sally Downey, Grace is a God-send. 

Next week though, a happy two may become an unhappy three... (please see following article).

A difficult start...
It seems foster caring isn't going to be as easy as Tess had hoped for, and after this week, we all know she has a lot to learn! Not knowing how to punish Hayley after she clobbered a kid at school, Tess went too far and grounded her instead of having a nice chat to smooth things over.

The problem may be that Tess is too much of a "best friend" for Hayley, and thus feels awkward punishing her as if she were a child. The two certainly have a sweet relationship though, which will bring added interest to the show, and bring out the goodness in Tess.

- Madam Mac, 18.10.2001.

Doyle Kids Dead
- Guest column by Kit Jane!
At the beginning of 2000, Sgt Maggie Doyle was found dead - shot to death. Detective PJ Hasham was accused of the murder. Later he was cleared as it was discovered they had arrested the wrong man. Pat Doyle, Maggie's father, found that Mick murdered Maggie, and then shot him dead. All the Doyle children are now dead - earlier, Robbie escaped prison and was killed diving in front of a bullet intended for Maggie.

- Kit Jane is a guest columnist for the Mt Thomas Gazette. If you would like to submit a story, click here!