Viv Anderson
Vivian “Viv” Anderson (2007, 2008)
Simone McAullay
Episodes: 4534,4537-8,4544-5,4557-8, 4626, 4627,4631, 4635
Marital Status: Noel Anderson (Husband); Ric Dalby (Father of unborn child)
Viv first appeared in Summer Bay as the wife of Noel, a wealthy client of the garage where Ric worked. She seemed besotted with the teen, constantly sending messages to his phone. Not suprisingly, Ric’s girlfriend Matilda was concerned when she found them, but he assured her there was nothing going on.
Viv continued to appear in Ric’s life, appearing very sleazy and trying to steal him away from his girlfriend. Ric felt very confronted by this, but he didn’t ant to lose her husband a client for business, so he kept quiet. One afternoon at the garage, whilst Ric was in the shower, Viv arrived at the garage only to jump into the shower with Ric, fully naked! Ric was clearly shellshocked, but kicked her out of the shower.
Even after Ric’s flat out rejection of her, Viv continued to SMS Ric, and when her husband Noel, who Ric believed to have violent tendencies towards his wife, showed up at his house and began to threaten him, Matilda assumed there was something going on between him and Viv, and dumped him.
Ric found his way to Viv’s caravan after walking to come to terms with this shock, and the two gave in to the passion and spent the night together, resulting in Viv becoming pregnant with Ric’s child. She tells Ric the news and that he will have nothing to do with the baby, before fleeing the bay.
Months later, after Ric was hospitalised with pnuemonia after a fight organised by Viv’s husband, she fled her house in fear of Noel after he came home drunk and got violent. Fearing for her and her unborn child’s safety, she came to Summer Bay House, only to find Matilda at the door. Matilda tells her that Ric is in the hospital, and offers her a place to stay.
She refused Matilda’s offer to stay in the house, only to be discovered sleeping in her car at the hospital by Nurse Julie. She revealed to Ric that the baby has severe abnormailities and Noel is pressuring her into terminating the pregnancy. She agreed at first, but after being threatened by Noel, she realised she cared for the baby’s safety moreso than her own. She then collasped on top of Ric, feeling very dizzy. She was offered support from Ric & Matilda for the baby, but was still unsure about the pregnancy and what her decision would be.
Noel visited her at the hospital to apologize, but Viv was skeptical. She said she has heard it all before, Noel apologises, Viv accepts, and they are OK till the next argument. She agrees to go home for a few days, before being discharged with Noel. She wants to go somewhere alone for a few days, but Noel sweet talks her into returning with him.
Days later, Ric shows up at Viv’s house in the city. After Noel blackmailed Ric into fighting again by threatening Viv & the baby, Ric confronted Viv and told her to get away from Noel. She flatly refused the idea, telling Ric that Noel had the financial security to provide for the child and until she had financial support she would not leave Noel.
Just before Ric’s scheduled fight with Logan, she tells Ric she is worried that Noel is stringing her along and will terminate the baby after the fight. She says she has some friends Noel doesn’t know about and she will pack up and head there. When Ric arrives at the fight club, Noel reveals he caught Viv packing and brought her to the fight.
During the fight, Viv collapses, forcing Noel to stop Logan from fighting Ric. She is taken to hospital after Rachel anonymously calls an ambulance, fooling the fight club into believing the police were there. At the hospital, she begins to have contractions. Rachel says that the stress over the last few weeks wouldn’t have helped. She calls Ric to the hospital because they have to make a decision on whether to proceed with treatment due to the baby’s disability.
Viv is torn over what to do, as she has had Noel dictate her life to her and the last time she made a decision for herself (Ric) it ended in disaster. After some strong words from Matilda, Viv and Ric decide to keep the baby, and after beginning treatment, the vital signs were up and the baby’s (and Viv’s) condition was stabilising.
When Ric & Matilda hear that Noel has gotten bail, they offer Viv a room at the caravan park, she accepts, but after hearing Ric discuss how she has changed, and Noel could manipulate her, she flees. She leaves Ric a message saying she will contact him when the baby is born.
However, during Ric’s first shift as a security guard, he was on duty at the hospital. He found out that Viv had been admitted and discharged that day and that she had lost the baby. He Viv and Matilda held a service to say goodbye to the baby and Viv told Ric she was leaving the bay and would be out of his life.