Simon Fitzgerald (Home and Away)
Encyclopedia
Simon Fitzgerald is a fictional character in the Australia
n soap opera
Home and Away
.He was portrayed by Richard Norton, who had just left a regular role as Ryan McLachlan
on rival show Neighbours
.He was a regular on the show for just under a year, from late 1991 to mid-1992.
High student who befriended Blake Dean. When Blake's guardians Alf
and Ailsa Stewart
were away, Simon persuaded Blake to use the empty house to entertain two girls from school, Sharyn and Annette.However, the girls decided to play a trick on them by planting a bra down the back of the sofa for Alf and Ailsa to find when they got home.The pair ended up in trouble until Simon persuaded the girls to admit to the joke.
When Simon's father Bill attempted to cheat Alf and Ailsa, Simon admitted to Blake that he had a history of dodgy dealings.Despite Simon asking him not to, Blake told Alf and Ailsa, who pulled out of the deal. Angry at the betrayal, Bill hit Simon.He then decided to leave town and asked Simon to come with him but Simon accepted an offer to stay with Alf and Ailsa instead.
Simon was attracted to Sophie Simpson
and persuaded her to come out on a date with him.She went to a concert with him in the city but he lost the train tickets home and they ended up having to pay a fine. Despite the setback, Sophie eventually agreed to keep seeing him. However, she then learned she was pregnant by her late boyfriend David Croft.She tried to keep it secret from Simon but her friend Finlay Roberts told him the truth.Simon agreed to stand by her and even offered to pretend to be the baby's father.However, David's sister Lou
saw through the deception and forced Sophie to admit the truth.
Sophie ran away to the city but Simon managed to track her down and bring her back to the Bay.Even though they were no longer a couple, Sophie still leant heavily on him and he was unable to get a date with another girl because he was spending time with Sophie.He admitted to Lou that he was finding it difficult and she let it slip to Sophie, thinking she already knew.Sophie was angry at first but eventually admitted she'd put too much pressure on Simon.
Simon received a shock when he heard his father had been arrested for fraud.Convinced of his innocence, he was prepared to leave town to support him only to hear he'd been jailed.He then supported Blake, whose girlfriend Meg Bowman had terminal leukaemia, and was there for him when she died.
Simon and Blake both entered a fun run
but became extremely competitive and started training heavily.They had a bet over who could win a race between them and Simon managed to win by cheating.Blake found out but decided to make Simon feel bad by refusing to let him return the bet, only for Simon to rip the money up.
The pair helped out Finlay's younger brother Damian when he was being bullied by threatening the bully Tug O'Neale into letting Damian beat him in a fight, although Damian ended up dealing with Tug without their help.They provided some unwitting assistance in Ryan Lee
's attempt to win Lucinda back by flying a nude painting Lucinda had done of her fiance Nick Parrish over the fun run.
When Simon found Adam Cameron
's "little black book", he persuaded Adam to set him up on a date with one of his old girlfriends.Adam agreed but told the girl in question to come on strong in order to give Simon a fright, resulting in him being caught out by Alf and Ailsa.The incident brought out the fact that Blake was still depressed over Meg's death so Simon decided to cheer him up by arranging for him to go on a student exchange trip.
Simon's kindness was rewarded when a miscommunication meant that, in exchange, Toni Bryant, an attractive farm girl, came to stay with Alf and Ailsa instead of the boy they expected.Alf wasn't comfortable with the pair staying together under his roof but the resulting holiday romance wasn't serious and Simon helped Toni come to terms with her father Philip becoming engaged to Marilyn Chambers
, who was closer to their age than Philip's.
Shortly before Toni went back, Simon received a letter from his father, who had been released from prison and wanted Simon to live with him. Deciding to give Bill a second chance, Simon made a quiet exit from town, leaving behind a note for Alf and Ailsa.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Home and Away
Home and Away
Home and Away is an Australian soap opera that has been produced in Sydney since July 1987 and is airing on the Seven Network since 17 January 1988. It is the second-longest-running drama and most popular soap opera on Australian television...
.He was portrayed by Richard Norton, who had just left a regular role as Ryan McLachlan
Ryan McLachlan
Ryan McLachlan is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Richard Norton. He made his first on-screen appearance on 15 February 1990 and remained on the show until 1991.-Casting:...
on rival show Neighbours
Neighbours
Neighbours is an Australian television soap opera first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was created by TV executive Reg Watson, who proposed the idea of making a show that focused on realistic stories and portrayed adults and teenagers who talk openly and solve their problems...
.He was a regular on the show for just under a year, from late 1991 to mid-1992.
Storylines
Simon was a Summer BaySummer Bay
Summer Bay is the fictional town featured in the Australian soap opera, Home and Away. Palm Beach, north of Sydney, is used for the show's exterior scenes in order to depict the Bay. Lane Cove River Tourist Park at Macquarie Park is the current location for filming of scenes involving the Summer...
High student who befriended Blake Dean. When Blake's guardians Alf
Alf Stewart
Alfred Douglas "Alf" Stewart is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Ray Meagher. The character debuted on-screen during the serial's pilot episode on 17 January 1988...
and Ailsa Stewart
Ailsa Stewart
Ailsa Stewart is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away. She was married to Alf Stewart and had a son Duncan. She was played by actress Judy Nunn for 13 and a half years...
were away, Simon persuaded Blake to use the empty house to entertain two girls from school, Sharyn and Annette.However, the girls decided to play a trick on them by planting a bra down the back of the sofa for Alf and Ailsa to find when they got home.The pair ended up in trouble until Simon persuaded the girls to admit to the joke.
When Simon's father Bill attempted to cheat Alf and Ailsa, Simon admitted to Blake that he had a history of dodgy dealings.Despite Simon asking him not to, Blake told Alf and Ailsa, who pulled out of the deal. Angry at the betrayal, Bill hit Simon.He then decided to leave town and asked Simon to come with him but Simon accepted an offer to stay with Alf and Ailsa instead.
Simon was attracted to Sophie Simpson
Sophie Simpson
Sophie Simpson is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Rebekah Elmaloglou. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 22 January 1990 and appeared as a regular until 1993...
and persuaded her to come out on a date with him.She went to a concert with him in the city but he lost the train tickets home and they ended up having to pay a fine. Despite the setback, Sophie eventually agreed to keep seeing him. However, she then learned she was pregnant by her late boyfriend David Croft.She tried to keep it secret from Simon but her friend Finlay Roberts told him the truth.Simon agreed to stand by her and even offered to pretend to be the baby's father.However, David's sister Lou
Lucinda Croft
Lucinda "Lou" Croft is a fictional character in the Australian soap opera Home and Away, portrayed by Dee Smart. She was a regular on the show for around a year and a half, from mid 1991 until late 1992.-Character history:...
saw through the deception and forced Sophie to admit the truth.
Sophie ran away to the city but Simon managed to track her down and bring her back to the Bay.Even though they were no longer a couple, Sophie still leant heavily on him and he was unable to get a date with another girl because he was spending time with Sophie.He admitted to Lou that he was finding it difficult and she let it slip to Sophie, thinking she already knew.Sophie was angry at first but eventually admitted she'd put too much pressure on Simon.
Simon received a shock when he heard his father had been arrested for fraud.Convinced of his innocence, he was prepared to leave town to support him only to hear he'd been jailed.He then supported Blake, whose girlfriend Meg Bowman had terminal leukaemia, and was there for him when she died.
Simon and Blake both entered a fun run
Fun run
A fun run is a friendly race that involves either road running or cross country running with participants taking part for their own enjoyment rather than competition. A fun run will usually be held to raise funds for a charity, with sponsors providing the revenue to cover organisational costs...
but became extremely competitive and started training heavily.They had a bet over who could win a race between them and Simon managed to win by cheating.Blake found out but decided to make Simon feel bad by refusing to let him return the bet, only for Simon to rip the money up.
The pair helped out Finlay's younger brother Damian when he was being bullied by threatening the bully Tug O'Neale into letting Damian beat him in a fight, although Damian ended up dealing with Tug without their help.They provided some unwitting assistance in Ryan Lee
Ryan Lee
Ryan Lee is a fictional character in the Australian soap opera Home and Away, portrayed since by actor Alistair McDougall. While not featuring in the opening credits, Ryan made a significant amount of appearances as a recurring character....
's attempt to win Lucinda back by flying a nude painting Lucinda had done of her fiance Nick Parrish over the fun run.
When Simon found Adam Cameron
Adam Cameron
Adam Cameron is a fictional character from Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by actor Mat Stevenson. Adam first appeared during the episode airing on 23 June 1989 and departed on 2 March 1994. He returned in July 1999 for a two month guest stint....
's "little black book", he persuaded Adam to set him up on a date with one of his old girlfriends.Adam agreed but told the girl in question to come on strong in order to give Simon a fright, resulting in him being caught out by Alf and Ailsa.The incident brought out the fact that Blake was still depressed over Meg's death so Simon decided to cheer him up by arranging for him to go on a student exchange trip.
Simon's kindness was rewarded when a miscommunication meant that, in exchange, Toni Bryant, an attractive farm girl, came to stay with Alf and Ailsa instead of the boy they expected.Alf wasn't comfortable with the pair staying together under his roof but the resulting holiday romance wasn't serious and Simon helped Toni come to terms with her father Philip becoming engaged to Marilyn Chambers
Marilyn Chambers (Home and Away)
Marilyn Chambers is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Emily Symons. She made her first on-screen appearance on 12 May 1989. Symons departed in 1992, but she returned in 1995 and stayed for four years. She made a brief return in 2001...
, who was closer to their age than Philip's.
Shortly before Toni went back, Simon received a letter from his father, who had been released from prison and wanted Simon to live with him. Deciding to give Bill a second chance, Simon made a quiet exit from town, leaving behind a note for Alf and Ailsa.