Synopsis[]
Alf's new store is finally up and running
Donald gives Pippa and Michael a bottle of champagne and asks Pippa about her wedding dress. She hasn't bought one yet and to date has only seen one she liked. Sophie adds that the stumbling block was that it cost $400. Michael doesn't think the price should matter. The next day, he has a quiet word with Sophie and asks her if she can talk Pippa into buying that dress.
Marilyn confirms with Alf that she will be there the following morning to start work in his shop. Nick wonders if could this lead to her getting her old job back. Marilyn doesn't think so. Besides, she has applied for the job of a store manager in Yabbie Creek.
Ben's chickens had fowl cholera and the rest of them have been put to sleep.The vet believes they were sold to Ben while they were already showing symptoms. Ben decides it's time to pay a visit to the Dawsons, the people who had sold him the chickens. He wants his money back. Carly insists on coming with him. The visit doesn't go well and Ben nearly come to blows with one of the Dawsons.
When Pippa comes back from a shopping trip to Yabbie Creek, Michael asks her if she bought anything special? Pippa says no, she hasn't bought a wedding dress yet. When he goes to work, she and Sophie talk about how awful the $400 dress had looked on her once she got a better look at it. What neither of them know is that Michael has decided to buy the dress himself. When Pippa sees the box, all she can say is that she's overwhelmed.
Alf's store opening goes well, helped by Marilyn's spot prizes which were designed to up the enthusiasm. During the day, she finds out she didn't get the job she had applied for because they wanted somebody older. When she is out of earshot, Nick makes a point of talking to Alf and mentions how good Marilyn is with the customers. Alf later tells Marilyn he has had a change of heart and he would like to keep her on permanently. He then spoils it all by saying she is a good little worker. Marilyn is insulted by that phrase and tells him she wouldn't work in his shop if it was the last place on earth. Ailsa is horrified too when she finds out. She points out that "good little worker" is the sort of thing they'd say to Duncan. Not to a grown woman like Marilyn.
Nick phones the Diner, asking to speak with Ben urgently. When he and Carly get home, they see the Dawsons being put into a police car. Nick explains that he and a colleague were in the area and by chance caught the Dawsons ploughing up Ben's land with their ute. They had also slaughtered the goats and that is not a sight for the faint-hearted.
Sophie asks Michael if he knows about the traditions that go along with weddings? The groom isn't supposed to see the bride's dress before the day of the wedding. Pippa reckons it's really bad luck and they're going to take it back to the shop. Pippa promises Michael she will find another dress or maybe make one.
Alf apologises to Marilyn and knows he said the wrong thing. She is more than a "good little worker". She is manageress material. He offers her the job again and this time Marilyn accepts. She negotiates a pay rise for herself too.
Ben tells Carly that apart from marrying her, he hasn't made any good decisions since he moved to Summer Bay. Nothing has gone right for him and he doesn't feel like he belongs. He has decided that the only place he really belongs is in the army. He is going to re-enlist.
Cast[]
- Ailsa Stewart - Judy Nunn
- Alf Stewart - Ray Meagher
- Ben Lucini - Julian McMahon
- Carly Lucini - Sharyn Hodgson
- Marilyn Chambers - Emily Symons
- Michael Ross - Dennis Coard
- Pippa Fletcher - Debra Lawrance
- Sophie Simpson - Rebekah Elmaloglou
Guest Cast
- Nick Parrish - Bruce Roberts
- Duncan Stewart - Lewis Devaney
- Barry Dawson - Robert Price
- Ted Dawson - Peter Hayes
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- Writer - Mary Dagmar Davies
- Director - Julian McSwiney
- Series Producer - Andrew Howie
- Exec Producer - Des Monaghan