Sally Fletcher
Sally Louise Copeland/Keating/Fletcher (1988–2008; 2013)
Kate Ritchie
Episodes: Pilot–4609, 5786–5825
Date of Birth: 9th February 1979
Parents: Aaron & Diana Copeland (both deceased)
Adoptive Parents: Tom (deceased) & Pippa Fletcher (adoptive); Michael Ross (adoptive, deceased)
Step Parents: Derek Wilson (stepfather, deceased)
Siblings: Miles Copeland
Adoptive Siblings: Christopher Fletcher, Haydn & Dale Ross (deceased)
Foster Siblings: Frank Morgan, Carly Morris, Steven Matheson, Lynn Davenport, Bobby Simpson (deceased), Dodge Forbes, Sophie Simpson, Damian & Finlay Roberts, Jack Wilson, Shannon Reed, Liam Tanner, Tiegan Brook & Justine Welles
Marital Status: Kieran Fletcher (2000, engaged); Luke Harvey (2000, engaged); Flynn Saunders (2003–2006, deceased); Brad Armstrong (2007, engaged)
Children: Pippa Saunders
Foster Children: Ric Dalby & Cassie Turner
Occupation: Student; Waitress; Bonza Burger Manager; Teacher; Principal; Caravan Park Owner
For a year-by-year biography and for more information, see our Sally Fletcher minisite
Sally Copeland was born on 9th February 1979, along with her twin brother Miles. Sally and Miles spent the first 3 years of their lives together, Sally’s small tongue making ‘Milco’ out of Miles Copeland, a nickname her father Aaron continued to use. Her parents marriage was unhappy, Aaron being a violent drunk, frequently hitting Diana in his drunken states. Eventually when the twins were three, Diana had had enough, threatening to leave and deny him access to the children. Aaron took matters into his own hands, and ran away with Miles in the middle of the night, leaving Sally after deciding that the road was no place for a young girl. He lived outside the system so he could not be found by authorities.
Sally’s mother Diana remarried to a man named Derek Wilson, who Sally would go on to remember as her father. Not long afterwards, both Diana and Derek were killed in a boating accident, and Sally went to live with Diana’s mother, Mrs Keating. Her grandmother’s love helped Sally adjust to the loss of her parents and feel secure again. Then, when Sally was five-and-a-half, Mrs Keating was diagnosed as having Alzheimer’s disease. As her condition worsened, the household routine fell apart and Sally often missed school to stay home and look after her grandmother.
One of her teachers brought the situation to the attention of the Welfare Dept, who put her in a home when they realised she wasn’t being properly cared for. When she arrived at the home, she put up walls and retreated into a fantasy world where her repressed childhood memories manifested into an imaginary friend called Milco. Whilst in the home she met Lynn Davenport, whom she shared a dormitory with, and the two became inseparable. When the authorities told Lynn they’d found a suitable foster family for her, she refused to leave the home without Sally. As a result, both Lynn and Sally went to live in the city with their new foster parents, Tom and Pippa Fletcher, and foster-siblings Frank Morgan and Carly Morris. They were later joined by Steven Matheson, a young teen who had just lost both his parents in a house fire.
In early 1988 when Tom announced that he had lost his job, Sally was concerned that she would be pushed out of The Fletchers. Tom and Pippa assured her that this wasn’t the case and when Tom suggested moving to the country town of Summer Bay, Sally was all for the idea. She was impressed by the Caravan Park when she first saw it but nearly changed her mind when she was knocked over by Bobby. She and imaginary friend Milco voted in favour of moving to the bay in order to keep the family together and was pleased to get her own room at The Caravan Park House.
Sally was at the shops with Carly and Lynn when they were teased by Bobby. When Pippa later asked if Bobby could move in with them, Sally voted against along with Lynn and Carly. Pippa told them it was not a majority vote as the tie was split but Sally pointed out that Milco didn’t like Bobby either. Pippa came upstairs and spoke to Milco, reminding him how The Fletchers had given a home to him and Sally. Sally and Milco changed their vote and Bobby moved into the Caravan Park.
On her first day at school Sally was teased about Milco being imaginary and ran out of school. She was found by Bobby who gave her a pep talk and encouraged her to go back. She later realised that she quite liked school after all. A dog followed Sally home from school one day and she and Lynn begged Tom and Pippa to let it stay. They agreed to let it stay one night but the dog barked all night and there were complaints. Tom began looking for the dog’s real owners but before they found them the dog was poisoned and with no money to pay for an operation Tom and Pippa agreed to put him down. Sally overheard them discussing it and told Lynn who decided to run away. Sally bought home three stray dogs in the hope that Lynn would come home, Pippa told her they couldn’t keep them and then went out and bought a dog for the family. Sally made posters of the dog for Lynn and a local boy with learning difficulties came looking for Sally and Tom and Pippa worked out that this boy was with Lynn. Sally was delighted when Lynn came home and called the dog Dag Dog.
Neville told Sally a story about Mr Haggis living in his bagpipe and Sally believed him and cut the bagpipe to let Mr Haggis escape. Neville was angry and Floss had to explain that it was just a story and that Mr Haggis was imaginary. Sally insisted that he was real like Milco and that she had stopped believing in Milco as a result but Floss talked her round.
She helped Martin and Lance build a home brew machine, even asking Pippa for potato peelings for it. She didn’t understand what it was though and drew a picture of it, describing it as a soft drinks machine and the machine was quickly discovered and shut down.
She was upset when something had happened to Carly but she didn’t know what and made her first real friend in Scott McPhee. They played together on the beach and she told him how good it was to be fostered. She was upset when he returned to his family in the City but cheered up when Lance and Martin gave her a box of old papers belonging to her grandmother.
Sally won tickets to see John Farnham in concert but came down with chicken pox just before. Pippa realised that she was too young to go anyway but Sally was still gutted. Bobby and Frank went instead and told John Farnham all about Sally and he came to visit her at home and sang her a song.
In the aftermath of Carly’s alcohol addiction Sally played ‘cold turkey’ and inadvertently let slip to Celia that Carly had an addiction. She was upset to hear Tom and Pippa consider selling the Caravan Park and was very pleased when they changed their minds. She was heartbroken when Neville and Floss left without saying a word but cheered up when Tom caught up with them and they managed a tearful goodbye.
She took an instant dislike to the new foster child Brian ‘Dodge’ Forbes and he didn’t make things any easier by teasing her and calling her ‘squirt’ all the time. When Tom and Alf were missing for several days in a storm Sally was really upset and started talking to Milco again. She was relieved when Tom turned up safe and well but continued to talk to Milco. She blamed Roo for Frank and Bobby splitting up and Frank leaving town and screamed at Roo about it. When confronted by Tom and Pippa she blamed Milco for making her do it. Dodge continued to pick on her and told her that Milco was now his friend and that he hated Sally. Sally angrily screamed at him that it wasn’t true and when Dodge asked her why, she burst into tears and admitted that Milco wasn’t real.
Dodge continued to torment her and when she fell in the water he left her scared for a while before finally rescuing her and coming across as a hero. Pippa asked Sally to give him a chance and she reluctantly agreed. He recruited her and his classmates to do gardening work for him in Morag’s garden but she was horrified when she realised he was getting more than twice as much as her for doing nothing. Sally led her friends out on strike and Tom forced Dodge to renegotiate the rates.
Still hating Dodge Sally attempted to run away but when Ailsa bought her back she announced she wanted a new home. She packed her bags and told The Fletchers that she didn’t want to live in the same family as Dodge. Tom called a family meeting to discuss what to do whilst outside Sally talked to Viv Newton who convinced her to give Dodge a chance. Tom and Pippa were delighted and asked if she would like to become their daughter for real. They organised the paperwork so she could become Sally Fletcher officially.
With the threat of being kicked out hanging over his head Dodge began being nicer to Sally and she was involved in organising the surprise party he planned for Tom and Pippa’s anniversary. Soon after the truth came out about Dodge being bad and he was taken away by the police, Sally helped Pippa burn his things and they painted her room to get rid of the burning smell.
They had a dinner to celebrate Sally’s upcoming adoption but it was gatecrashed by the arrival of Sally’s uncle, Ross Keating. Ross wanted custody of Sally and tried to convince The Fletchers that Sally would be better off with him and his wife Louise. Sally spent a day at Ross and Louise’s farmhouse and was won over by the millions of toys and the pony, agreeing to stay overnight. Tom and Pippa were gutted when, the next day, on returning to The Fletchers she began demanding the sort of things Ross and Louise had for her. She accused Tom and Pippa of not loving her like Louise did when they refused to buy her a horse. After Tom and Pippa failed to back down Sally announced she wanted to live with Ross and Louise but when the time came to say goodbye she couldn’t go through with it and broke down hugging Pippa. Ross threatened to see them in court but Louise who had been voicing doubts about raising Sally to Pippa, spoke up and told him that this was the end of it. The Keatings were never seen in Summer Bay again.
Sally was in danger when Bobby’s mentally disturbed boyfriend believed voices were telling him to kill Sally. He was more obsessed though with getting revenge on Morag for having his father sent down (he killed himself in prison) and when he was spotted by Sally going into Morag’s house and found to be holding her hostage, he fled town.
The Fletcher family unit was threatened when Tom suffered a stroke and went away to the city to recover. In his absence a young guy called Rory turned up and charmed Pippa, Sally and the rest into letting him stay. Sally in particular was devastated when it was revealed that he had died, having been eaten by a shark. Sally didn’t remain down for long though as Tom returned to the family fold. The arrival of a shark hunter in the bay caused more trouble as he became obsessed with Pippa and sexually harassed her, convincing Tom that they were having an affair and causing Pippa and Tom briefly to split. Sally spent several days worrying about the fate of her family before Pippa managed to prove her innocence and The Fletchers were reunited.
After being left momentarily alone by Sophie, Sally accidentally set fire to a pan on the stove. She panicked and poured water over it, only making the fire worse. Tom was able to put the fire out before it did too much damage but Sally was left shaken. Sophie took the blame for the incident because she had left Sally alone. With Sophie having asked Tom and Pippa to foster her, Sally was keen to get them to agree and put them on the spot, angering Sophie. At a family meeting they voted on it and Sally was delighted when a majority vote saw Sophie become one of the family.
Sally complained to Carly that a boy from school Murray ‘Mullet’ Jensen had been pestering her and that she didn’t like him but when he followed her home from school, Carly left them to it. Sally initially wore sunglasses to hide from him and then ‘played hard to get’ in an attempt to get him to lose interest. After a talk with tom and Pippa she went to talk to him but he told her he really liked her so Sally told him to stop being mushy and stormed off. Sally then decided to be really bossy towards him to put him off but was upset when Mullet asked for her help with his homework as she believed he only liked her because she was clever. After taking advice from Alf, Mullet told her that he did like her and Sally began to warm towards him.
Sally was with Mullet taking dancing lessons from Marilyn when Carly and Ben came to collect her and told her that Tom had died. Sally was devastated and angrier when, on returning to The Caravan Park, Pippa seemed not to care. A chat with Ailsa made her see that Pippa did still love Tom and that night Sally crawled into Pippa’s bed and asked her if she was sad about Tom. Pippa broke down crying and they sobbed each other to sleep.
After Tom’s funeral The Fletchers attempted to get back to normal and Murray’s Mum invited Sally for dinner. At the last moment though Murray cancelled on her telling her his Mum had had an accident in the kitchen. Sally went round with food as a present and discovered that Murray had lied to her about the accident and lied to his Mum that she had mumps in order to get out of dinner. Sally was really upset and refused to listen to Mullet’s apologies. It later transpired that he didn’t want her to come round because he was ashamed of his house.
Sophie and Blake left her alone at the cinema and were caught out by Pippa. Sally tried once again to take the blame but Sophie still ended up grounded. At the end of the year Sally was gutted when Bobby miscarried her baby. She had been incredibly excited throughout Bobby’s pregnancy and had been making all sorts of presents for it so for the baby to die so soon after Tom was gutting for her.
Early 1991 saw another of Sally’s original foster family leave the bay as Steven departed for pastures new and the.
Though Sally liked Michael Ross when she first met him, she was upset when it seemed that he was Pippa’s new boyfriend. When a trip to sell one of the caravans led to their van breaking down, Pippa and Michael had to stay over and Sally was angry with them and the next day furiously warned Michael to stay away from Pippa. She confided in Ben that she worried Michael would leave Pippa like he did his first wife but Ben managed to convince her to give Michael a chance. Sally told Pippa and Michael she was sorry about her behaviour and that she was okay with them going out. As the relationship progressed Sally grew to like Michael more and came to see that Pippa hadn’t forgotten Tom. When Michael proposed Pippa agonised about her decision before finally agreeing and Sally was bridesmaid at their wedding.
Sally confided in Sophie that she had been teased in school about needing a bra and Sophie told Pippa who promised to take her shopping. Sally was embarrassed about her body changing and further embarrassed when Michael walked in on her while she was changing her top. He later upset her by telling Adam why she was upset. Sally had a chat with Sophie about bras and then one with Pippa who took her shopping. She then changed her tune and began feeling proud of her bra and was disappointed when nobody noticed.
Sally liked Peter Mansell and planned to get with him at an unsupervised party. He was Sally’s first kiss during a game of spin the bottle and he later agreed to go on a date with her. It was their first and last date.
1992 began a difficult time for Sally as she started high school and instantly hated it. With Sophie at the time pregnant and missing, Sally wasn’t at the forefront of Pippa’s mind and she began feeling neglected and struggled to come to terms with finding out that Meg Bowman was dying of Leukaemia. Sally was gutted when, after a tumultuous birth, Sophie decided to join her mother in law in bringing up Tamara in Perth causing Sally the loss of her closest yet foster sister.
Sally was disappointed when she was told she couldn’t be Bobby’s bridesmaid but Bobby later changed her mind. The wedding wasn’t without mishap though as Sally got paint on her dress and everything under the sun seemed to go wrong. They eventually married and Sally read out a poem at the ceremony.
Sally developed a crush on foster brother Damien Roberts after he accompanied her to a concert and was crushed when he let her down. Sally lied that she didn’t like him but was later caught out kissing him while he slept. Damien’s reaction caused them to fall out and Shane’s tormenting didn’t help matters.
Another tragedy rocked her to the core soon after when Pippa’s baby Dale died of cot death. A devastated Sally sobbed her heart out, repeating over and over that it was so unfair. As the family came to turns with their grief she was angry that everyone seemed to be moving on and have forgotten and later broke down on the beach clutching Dale’s teddy bear. Pippa found her on the beach and Sally confided that she had been struggling to contain her grief in order to be strong for Pippa and Michael. Pippa encouraged her to let it all out and they decided to celebrate Mothers Day even though it was bound to be hard on them.
In an attempt to attract the attention of baby boy Craig, Sally joined the cool gang and underwent an initiation which included singing on a snooker table in The Surf Club. Her persistence paid off and she and Craig began dating but things weren’t plain sailing and Sally was soon humiliated thanks to her own deceitfulness. Sally was determined to continue her relationship regardless but her friend Gloria was furious to discover her deception and Sally’s selfishness caused her the loss of her best friend.
Things were put into perspective for Sally when, still reeling from Dale’s death, Bobby died tragically in a boat accident. Yet another loss in her young life caused Sally fresh heartache and she retreated into herself for a while. She did feel sympathy though for Adam Cameron who had caused Bobby’s death and tried to give him a present to cheer him up but Adam told her to get lost.
Towards the later part of 1994 The Ross’s were rocked by a succession of rows after Pippa and Michael seemingly clashed over everything. Pippa gave Sally money to go away on a school camp angering Michael, as money was tight but Pippa pointed out that it was only tight because Michael had lost money to his son Haydn causing a massive argument.
After more arguments Sally was devastated when Michael moved out and after being forced to chose between Christmas with him or with Pippa Sally lashed out. She screamed at Pippa that she no longer felt part of the family and blamed Pippa firmly for ruining things. She then ran away from home and Curtis was worried when he found her bag in The City. She turned up safe a week later, but her disappearance had re-opened the lines of communication between Pippa and Michael and a reunion was on the cards.
Joe Lynch was Jack’s friend and Sally liked him from when she first met him. At first it seemed like the feelings might be mutual and encouraged by Jack, Sally asked him out. Joe though had for some reason turned against Sally and not only knocked her back but did it cruelly. He then proceeded to bully her, calling her a brain and ugly on regular occasions until Sally finally snapped. She got her revenge but ended up in detention and it was only Don Fisher’s intervention that saw the truth revealed. Sally managed to forgive him and he left town a few weeks later.
Gus Bishop showed an interest and with her confidence low after Joe’s treatment of her Sally refused to see the badness in Gus despite his tendency for stealing and vandalism. She took the blame for him after he smashed Shane’s headlight and defended him through multiple wrongdoings. Eventually his behaviour got too bad and with his sister Donna leaving to travel he was forced to leave the Bay. he tried to get Sally to go with him and when she refused he threw a rock through the window at the Caravan Park nearly hurting Pippa.
The next guy Sally got close to was Nelson MacFarlane. They shared a moment on the beach and Sally stuck up for him in public, endearing herself to him. Jack caused a bush fire and Nelson was badly burnt pulling him to safety and struggled to come to terms with his disfigurement. He pushed Sally away before eventually departing the bay for a burns unit in the city
Jack comforted Sally over Nelson’s departure and she helped him organise a concert which was a success. Sally injured her ankle in a bush walk and as Jack stayed with her they saw new sides to each other and grew close before finally sharing a kiss finally admitting that they liked each other. They were caught by a horrified Michael in Sally’s bed and he did his best to split them up sending Sally away on an excursion.
Despite Jack being tempted by Chloe in her absence she and Jack reunited and Michael was forced to accept them. Determined to find somewhere they could be alone together they began sneaking into Caravans until Michael finally gave them the use of one in order to keep their relationship away from the younger kids. Chloe though was a constant threat to their relationship as Jack became obsessed with her relationship with Curtis fuelling Sally’s doubts that she was second best. They rowed further when Sally gave their Caravan up to a broken man Brendan who needed a place to stay and realising they were too different, they broke up soon after.
Upset at the sudden death of Shane Sally was swayed by the arguments of a lonely old man who was convinced that sally was the reincarnation of his daughter Caitlin. Caitlin had died in a car crash and Mr Moss had spent his life feeling guilty about not swerving in time to save her. He and Sally instantly shared an unexplainable connection and Sally started to believe that maybe his theory was true.
Pippa and Michael were worried but Sally refused to give up on the friendship and even agreed to go and view their old house to see if she remembered it. On the way there a car came out of nowhere and in echoes of Caitlin’s accident Mr Moss was forced to swerve and saved Sally’s life but ended his own. Sally was gutted at his death but the accident convinced her that he had been telling the truth and that her being reincarnated was for the purpose of letting him saved her life and in doing so atone for Caitlin’s death.
Sally was worried sick when she heard that Michael had been washed into a swollen river after saving Sam in a storm but she comforted Jack who felt guilty about not holding onto him. Pippa did her usual trick of acting like nothing had happened when Steven broke the news that they had found Michael’s body and this time directed her anger at Jack. It was Sally who did the everyday things and comforted Christopher and Sam and held the family together. On the morning of the funeral she broke down just as she was due to go into the church sobbing that she couldn’t go in and she had to be comforted by Shannon. She stood up to read a poem at Michael’s funeral but in a move that was echoed years later at Flynn’s funeral, she broke down and couldn’t go on so Shannon came to stand at her side and finish the reading. Later after the wake, in echoes of Tom’s death, Sally went to Pippa’s room and joined her on the bed telling her it was okay to cry. Pippa finally broke down and they held each other, sobbing. Jack, still struggling with his guilt, later left the bay to join the army
She struck up a strange friendship with Jesse McGregor but with Michael and Jack gone, plus Shane and Angel and new, younger kids arriving at the caravan Park, Sally began a time of turmoil. Having not had a boyfriend since Jack she set her cap at a succession of guys including Curtis but they either rejected her or as in Curtis’s case, failed to notice her existence. She kissed Charlie, who she didn’t even really like, just because he showed an interest but was disgusted with herself and got drunk. She was found sobbing by Selina and Shannon and she confided in them that she hated herself and that boys didn’t like her.
Shannon and Selina decided to cheer her up by taking a raft out onto the river but tragedy struck when the raft fell apart and all three were deposited in the river. Shannon and Selina managed to swim to safety but there was no sign of Sally. Her shoe was found deep in the bush leading to the realisation that she hadn’t drowned but that she had either run away or been taken.
She was missing for weeks as a frantic search was underway and everyone became desperately worried. It was Steven who refused to give up on her, determined to redeem himself after a bad patch he became convinced that Sally was alive but only just. His relentless search was rewarded when he found Sally in the nick of time. She had been held captive by a schizophrenic man called James Grace. Suffering from the effects of being in the river and being kept captive, Sally was desperately ill by the time they found her. Luckily she made a full recovery.
There was despair for Sally when Shannon’s abusive boyfriend Kye knocked Pippa out putting her in a coma. Though Pippa’s father Bert moved in to help, a lot of running the home and looking after Christopher and Sam fell to Sally. It was hard for her when Pippa finally came round as she had lost her memory and had to deal with Michael’s death all over again. Sally struggled to cope with running the family and supporting Pippa as she increasingly pushed them all away.
Around the same time she began a relationship with a local fisherman called Tim O’Connell. Tim genuinely liked Sally and their relationship was a slow burner and quite sweet and genuine. Tim worked away a lot which was difficult for them but they managed it until Tim was accused of being involved in a scam to bring illegal immigrants into Australia. With him under the threat of deportation Sally slept with him and he was sent away soon after.
Angry that he had betrayed her trust and had to go away, Sally took her anger out on Shannon who she blamed for reporting him and she underwent a rebellion. She hung around with a dodgy guy called Griff and then hooked up with Scott Irwin, Tim’s enemy. She stole exam papers for him and slept with him in the back of his van but Scott showed his true colours when he told everybody about their liaison damaging her reputation.
Tim returned to the Bay having been given a good behaviour bond and despite his horror over her affair with Scott, he managed to forgive her. She supported him during his depression at having seriously injured his knee but was shocked when Tim proposed to her. She turned him down believing it was too soon and a devastated Tim ended the relationship.
As Shannon left the bay Sally succumbed to a gambling addiction, something she was first introduced to by Tim. The man in question flirted with Justine in an attempt to make Sally jealous but quickly twigged that her gambling was the real reason behind her mood swings. He surprised her with a dinner date and later asked him to join her up North for Christmas and Sally accepted.
With Pippa making the decision to go travelling with Ian, Sally assumed that she and Tim would be put in loco parentis at the caravan park. When Pippa instead turned to Travis and Rebecca, Sally was hurt but after arguments with Tim she contemplated going with Pippa before eventually opting to stay.
Tim though had begun to show signs of jealousy and after he upset he by bringing up Scott Sally finished things. Tim though wouldn’t let her go and became obsessed, accusing Travis of having an ulterior motive in taking over the caravan park house. After flowers failed to do the trick and Sally made her feelings abundantly clear, he left the bay for good.
Sally was gutted when the time came to say goodbye to Pippa and when she finally started University on her archaeology course she found it hard to study at home so instead hid at Vinnie’s in order to get peace and quiet. No longer feeling at home in the caravan park house she made the decision to move in with Vinnie and Jesse but found moving out of her childhood home harder than she had thought.
There were teething problems at her new house when Jesse and Vinnie took living with a woman to be symbolic with live in slave. Eventually Sally lost it and insisted on equal chores so Vinnie drew up a rota to placate her. She started a part time job at Bonza Burgers, juggling it around her degree.
She started a relationship with older man Sean Ellis after he gave her surfing lessons, much to the disgust of his teenage daughter Daria. Their relationship fizzled out after the combined efforts of Daria and a jealous Gypsy drove them apart. The arrival on the scene of Sean’s ex Tanya didn’t help matters but Sean made one last ditch attempt to win back Sally. Sally turned him down though and he departed the bay with his daughter to start afresh elsewhere.
Sally was shot when a siege at The Diner went wrong and she took the only bullet. Luckily she made a quick recovery and bonded with Jesse over their shared depression. They then worked together to pep up Vinnie who was despondent over Justine choosing Tom over him.
Despite growing feelings for him, Vinnie teased her about being too serious so Sally took a walk on the wild side and dated a dodgy guy but she regretted it when he turned out to be a jerk. A jealous Vinnie kicked him out and it seemed the feelings were mutual. They finally admitted their mutual attraction and became a couple. They initially kept their relationship quiet and took off on a secret holiday together. They were caught kissing by Justine who had decided she wanted Vinnie back. They went public with their relationship and enjoyed a relatively trouble free few months except for a brief pregnancy scare that terrified them both.
Vinnie was diagnosed with testicular cancer and Sally stood by him but when coming out from surgery she was horrified when he called for Justine. She forgave him but they hit a troubled period as his web cam broadcast her naked on the internet and her new boss at Bonza Burgers turned out to be Adam Cameron who she and everyone else in the bay had practically driven out of town after he killed Bobby. He began making her life at work a misery until she resigned.
Vinnie became jealous of her course mate Angus and Sally considered cheating on Vinnie with him but never went through with it. She was angry to find out that Vinnie had kissed a model Bianca in order to win a part in a film. Realising that Bianca had instigated everything sally forgave him but quickly realised she had trust issues. After a succession of arguments she ended things, deciding that they were just too different. Vinnie made several attempts at winning her back, even using Justine to make her jealous before finally accepting it was over.
Sally’s year started off with her celebrating a 21st birthday, with surprise guest Lance Smart who was at the time AWOL from the army after a drunken escapade during which he had ran over someone’s car with a tank. Using the money she had received from her inheritance at 21, she bought Jesse’s garage and then rented it out to Ken Smith.
Soon after Vinnie told Sally that she was boring and though things through too much. This deeply hurt Sal and so she went out clubbing one night with Shauna, bringing home some guy named Rex. However, Rex ended up nicking the video recorder and Sally was left chastened by the experience. She then did some more unexpected and put her name down for a trip to Ireland that her Uni were running and left the following day.
About two months later, she returned, now engaged, to Kieran Fletcher. Sharing the same surname, the hotel that they were staying in had thought they were a couple and booked them room together. They fell for each other and were soon engaged. She also found her room at the Old Nash House had been taken by English-backpacker Gilly, so Sally decided to move in with Shauna and Leah at James’ old house. With Colleen, the Stewart’s and the Nashes deciding to sell the caravan park, Kieran and Sally looked at buying it. Unfortunately for them, a family from the city outbid them and their dream engagement present was scuppered.
Kieran soon tried to cheat on Sally with Gypsy behind Sally’s back and as the wedding got closer, some of Sally’s family continued to return for the wedding, including most of her original foster family. Then at the wedding, just as they couple were about to say “I do”, Gypsy stood up and revealed what a lying scumbag Kieran actually was. At first no one believed her, but then Colleen and Hayley stood up to back Gypsy up. Initially Sally felt great hatred towards Gypsy, but soon her family talked her around and she realised that she should indeed be thankful for Gypsy for preventing her from getting into a marriage with someone she could not trust.
Sally then had a condition named OCD spring up after this, and she was constantly washing her hands and skiving off Uni. Her friends became increasingly worried and it was Kieran’s best man, Luke Harvey, who returned to help Sally overcome her problems and Sally soon began to fall for him.
When Luke returned to help the victim’s of the mudslide disaster he proposed to Sally and she accepted. Sally soon started her teacher training at Summer Bay High. One of her particular lessons, a mummification of a rat was met with disapproval from Donald Fisher. In the end however, she got the vacant teaching position and would join the Summer Bay High staff in 2001. Towards the end of the year, Harry kissed Sally.
Harry became convinced that Sally wasn’t really in love with Luke and kissed her in order to prove a point. A defiant Sally insisted she did love Luke but deep down she was having doubts. When Brett Egan, who had been a student teacher at the school, returned full time, he and Sally spent a lot of time together. Sally tried to set him up with Shauna but Shauna suggested he be careful because it was really Sally he was interested in. Fisher continually pushed them together at school and in extracurricular activities, leaving Sally feeling uncomfortable and doubting her feelings for Luke. She and Brett shared a kiss and Sally ended her relationship with Luke.
The next day love hearts appeared all round the school pairing her up with Brett and he seemed to cool off on her. She confronted him and he confessed he didn’t want to take advantage of her after she had just split from Luke so they decided to take things slowly. When a pupil mocked Sally and Brett over the school tannoy system, Brett failed to contain his anger and lashed out at the pupil, forcing Sally to have second thoughts about her relationship with Brett. However she would soon have much greater worries when she was held hostage in a classroom along with Brodie by crazed student, Woody. Through both her and Brodie’s talking around of Woody, they managed to escape. Brett soon decided that teaching wasn’t for him and left the bay, whilst Sally suffered a flare-up of her OCD.
Another hangover from her failed wedding the previous year occurred when she struggled to enter the church as one of Leah’s bridesmaids. However Colleen managed to talk around and she walked up the aisle behind Leah. Right after this wedding, Sally visited Canada. However, whilst she was there, she contracted pneumonia and ended up having to extend her stay by a fortnight. On her return she agreed to Gypsy continuing to stay at her house, despite the role Gypsy had played in the failure of her wedding the previous year. Sally soon uncovered that Gypsy was carrying Will’s baby and tried to push the couple together, but kept her word, saying that she would not tell Will.
She thought she might be falling for Tom Nash but it came to nothing when he left the Bay suddenly to continue travelling. When Flynn Saunders arrived in town it seemed Shauna was attracted to him and Sally warned her off because she was still going out with Jude. Flynn asked Sally to attend a talk with him and she agreed to go, becoming good friends with him. When he asked her out again she consented but confessed to Leah that she was worried about losing their friendship. On their date Flynn attempted to kiss her only to pull back and explain that he really liked her but didn’t want to start anything in case he had to take off after his drug addict sister and let her down. Sally agreed to wait and was rewarded a few weeks later when he told her he wanted to start a relationship.
It was smooth sailing at first with their first couple of dates being a disaster. One was called off when Flynn got stuck at the drop-in centre with some deaf girl and then on another occasion Flynn was called to the city after a sighting of his sister Ashley. When they finally managed to go on a date, Sally dressed up expecting some glitzy dinner, however Flynn had planned an abseiling picnic and Sally ended up horrendously overdressed. Despite everything they had a good date and Sally grew more smitten.
Shauna though was not done with Flynn, despite him being Sally’s boyfriend and her being with Jude. She kissed him and though Flynn rebuffed her, Sally thought it was another Kieran situation and furiously refused to have anything to do with either of them. After realising Shauna was really to blame Sally forgave Flynn but her friendship with Shauna was beyond repair.
Flynn soon recovered his drug addict sister Ashley from some squat in the city and Sally’s relationship was forced to take a back seat for a period of time. Just as it appeared that Ashley was overcoming her habit, Terry, her old drug supplier arrived in the bay. She ran to the drop-in centre looking for help and in the scuffle that ensued Sally was injured against a chest of drawers.
Upon her admission to hospital Sally was diagnosed as having an ovarian cancer, though thankfully it was removed without much problem. Unfortunately for Sally this meant that she would be unable to have children and believing that Flynn would no longer want a woman like her. However she was wrong and Flynn’s constant hanging around outside her front door eventually convinced her otherwise.
2002 started with Sally at loggerheads with Don Fisher after he refused to let her teach Year 12s, believing she was too weak after her cancer scare. The news that Summer Bay High was being threatened with closure caused a further rift between them when they disagreed on strategy. She was suspicious when her ex Brett Egan returned to town but she made it clear she was with Flynn and Brett wished her luck. After he had left the town it was revealed that he had been working out on a limb to help safeguard the future of the school.
Having been slightly jealous of Brett, Flynn asked Sally to move in with him and was gutted when she turned him down. They later had a heart to heart and she was able to convince him that she loved him and that he had nothing to worry about. He arranged a surprise for her by having all her friends and family round to watch a video from her foster mother Pippa during the centenary celebrations and won her family’s seal of approval.
After Sally was lost in the bush after the Mirigani sinking, she saved the lives of Sophie and Blake thanks to skills Flynn had taught her and when they were reunited their relationship seemed stronger than ever She was concerned when Shauna returned to town that she might be after Flynn again but it turned out her friend Charlotte was the one who needed to worry as Shauna set her sights on winning Jude back. With Sally still angry at her ex friend Shauna over trying to steal Flynn, she was firmly in Charlotte’s corner when Jude left town with Shauna.
Her support was tested to the limits though when Charlotte, grieving for the loss of her miscarried twins, asked Flynn to father a baby with her but Flynn declined her offer. They were both devastated when Charlotte died after complications from drowning and released white balloons in her memory. Her death bought Sally to the conclusion that life was too short so Flynn moved in with her. They struggled to adapt to living together at first and argued about the strangest things such as which way up the cups should be put in the cupboard but managed to eventually find a neutral ground. Sally’s old school friend put the idea in her head about surrogacy and even offered to be a surrogate until it was revealed that she was a murderer and her son was in care.
She bonded with autistic student Mickey Dunn and was the only person able to talk him down off a roof when he wanted to see if he could fly. She tutored him so that he was able to attend mainstream school and even gave him her shoes after he became obsessed with the fact that they were red.
Sally was tempted by Angie Russell’s offer to be a surrogate but Flynn managed to convince her it was a crazy idea so Sally invited her foster sister Sophie to stay instead. Sophie was hurt to realise that Sally hadn’t been honest about her reasons for inviting her to stay and Flynn was angry with her for becoming obsessed with the surrogacy idea.
They had a row about it but soon made up and Sally agreed to drop the surrogacy idea. When Sophie arrived Sally repeated her promise only for Sophie to say she’d be surrogate after all, delighting Sally and Flynn. Sally and Flynn were thrilled when Sophie arrived back in the Bay some months later, and were even more happy when the ultrasound showed that Sophie was expecting twins!
More good news was on the way for Sally when Fisher asked her to be principal at Summer Bay High. But if she didn’t get the job, Angie would. And that was something that none of them wanted. After years of working at Summer Bay High, it was time to say goodbye to Donald Fisher. And with an emotional speech thanking him for all he had done for the school, Sally said goodbye to Fisher at his farewell party in the assembly hall. Things between Sally and Angie still weren’t what you would call ‘amicable’, and with Sally being told that she was too young for the job, the situation only got worse.
As if things weren’t hard enough already, Sally and Flynn were shocked to find out that Sophie was carrying their twins by two different fathers – the other father being Blake. Finding the prospect of carrying twins by two different fathers hard to come to terms with, Sophie asked Sally and Flynn if they would take on both of the twins. But, after numerous discussions, Blake and Sophie decided that they would keep their baby. Not long after, Sophie was found crying in the bathroom, and was taken to hospital. Sophie miscarried one of the twins and there were fears that the other twin could be born with down’s syndrome. DNA tests were carried out and it was revealed that it was Sally and Flynn’s baby that had died.
Sally was dealt more good news over the next few months as best friend Leah, having seen their devastation at losing their baby offered to be surrogate instead. To the delight of all involved Leah fell pregnant and Sally and Flynn excitedly prepared for their baby’s arrival.
Career wise things were not going well for Sally as she was overlooked for the principal’s job and saw it given to a man she neither liked or respected. She acted as peacemaker between Barry Hyde and the students but ended up in trouble by openly supporting them against him. She almost came close to losing £10,000 when Kane skipped bail after she and Flynn had put up the money.
She was happy to see old friend Floss McPhee arrive in town but devastated when Floss confided she had cancer and wanted Sally to help her to die. Sally promised to speak to Flynn but he was angry and refused to help, insisting he was a Doctor to save lives not end them. Unable to tell Floss that she couldn’t help her Sally went behind Flynn’s back and stole morphine but Flynn was conducting his own tests and realised that Floss was in face free of cancer. Flynn confided in Sally that he had helped his mother to die and had felt guilty ever since and Sally felt guilty when the missing morphine caused him to be under investigation. She admitted she had stolen it causing a row between them.
There was further tension as a result of the surrogacy as Sally began to feel sidelined and Leah began to develop feelings for Flynn, causing Jesse to feel jealous and Sally suspicious. Flynn was angry with Sally for not trusting him but their rows over Floss pushed him closer to Leah and they almost shared a kiss. With Sally thinking she was to blame for the tension between her and Flynn after stealing the morphine she confided in Jesse and was horrified when he inadvertently told her about Flynn and Leah’s almost kiss. Despite both their assurances that it was nothing Sally felt unable to be around Flynn and packed a bag heading to Irene’s. She was surprised by a bunch of flowers and a kind gesture from Barry Hyde but with Flynn not coming to see her she decided to leave for Pippa’s.
She returned a few days later prepared to accept Flynn’s assurances that nothing had happened but unaware that while she was away Flynn and Leah had actually kissed. The truth came out but Sally and Flynn managed to move past it and were stronger than ever with Flynn treating Sally to a romantic picnic.
While they were away however, Leah went into labour and after a frantic search Sally and Flynn arrived at the hospital just in time to see their baby daughter born. Despite a mix up over Colleen assuming the baby would be named after her, Sally and Flynn eventually named their baby Pippa after Sally’s beloved foster mother.
There were teething problems with Leah having gone into labour early so Sally’s maternity leave had not yet started and Leah struggled to let go of her hold on little Pippa. Sally and Flynn were horrified when they caught Leah breastfeeding Pippa and were forced to warn her to stay away. They eventually came to terms with their new roles and normal friendship was resumed.
Sally and Flynn fought Josie for guardianship of Tasha, siding with Irene but they eventually grew to like Josie and came to a custody arrangement with Tasha moving out to Irene’s. They were also caught in the middle of Sarah Lewis’s siege in which Noah Lawson was shot dead.
After Rhys and Beth’s marriage broke down Rhys gave Sally first refusal on The Caravan Park House but Flynn was reluctant to commit. He eventually came round to the idea only for the bank to knock them back. They eventually sorted a house swap with The Hunters and Pippa bought the Caravan Park for them.
They got involved with troubled Ric Dalby before eventually giving him a home with them and were devastated when their christening plans went literally up in smoke only for Josie, of all people, to come through for them.
Sally and Flynn started the year afresh in their new home with Pippa now christened and Flynn giving up his surgery for his job at the hospital. However their relationship soon began to buckle when Flynn firstly botched an operation on Leah and then under the strain began to suffer from lack of sleep and was self prescribing. This included Sally finding Pippa crawling around the house unsupervised. When Alf’s grandson Ric returned to the bay, Alf took him in, but it was soon obvious to both that it wasn’t going to work so Sally and Flynn fostered their first child. Their relationship was still under strain and it took words from Ric about his troubled childhood to show them that they had a good thing going and they soon reunited.
Things went swimmingly for about a week until attending a meeting at The Surf Club regarding the stalker, Sally and Flynn returned home to find that their home had been ransacked. A few weeks later Sally was again the target of the Summer Bay stalker who caused her to have an accident at home. Sally soon recovered and not long after, Sally and Flynn took in their second foster child, Cassie Turner, whose gran Joy Foxton had recently died of a stroke caused by Colleen.
The troubles weren’t over for Sally as she soon get into a struggle with the stalker and was held hostage, as it was revealed Zoe McCallister, who recounted everything that had happened over the past few months. After a struggle, Peter managed to rescue Sally from the abandoned warehouse, literally seconds before the whole place exploded. Sally was briefly haunted by what had happened and hoped that she would at last get some respite. That was however not forthcoming and she found herself in more strife.
A kid named Diesel had moved to Summer Bay and he ended up being infatuated Sally and ended up taking Pippa hostage. Whilst Sally had wanted to see the best in Diesel she was unable to and he was carted off to some institution for troubled kids.
Flynn and Sally decided to go camping with Dan and Leah. However, the girls weren’t cut out for the bush life and returned home. Whilst they were there, Flynn fell off a cliff and injured himself pretty badly and began having visions of his death. He tried to talk Sally into them writing a will. Sally began to plan a holiday with Flynn when Flynn returned home with bad news, he had terminal skin cancer and over the last few weeks off the year his condition gradually worsened. Sally and Flynn renewed their vows during which Flynn’s condition led to him collapsing and he discussed with Sally that he might end it early.
Cassie overheard his suggestion and ran out of the house into a storm. Ric went after her and both ended up trapped in a caravan with a power cable on the roof. Flynn attempted to free them and ended up seriously injuring himself. The year ended with Cassie and Ric still trapped and Sally leaning over an unconscious Flynn.
Flynn recovered from his electrocution at the end of 2005 and Cassie and Ric both managed to escape unharmed from the caravan thanks to his intervention. Flynn though was getting progressively weaker and after being knocked down the stairs accidentally by belle, he was given just hours to live. Sally sat with him and said a tearful goodbye. They had a final dance to their wedding song and Flynn passed away quietly in Sally’s arms.
Flynn’s funeral saw Pippa and Flynn’s father and sister return to say their goodbyes and support Sally but like Pippa before her, Sally completely shut down following Flynn’s death. She went into obsessive cleaning mode abut a video from Flynn, left with Alf caused her to break down sobbing and confide in Alf just how much she missed him. Flynn’s death then led to the union of two of Home and Away’s oldest characters with Alf honouring his promise to Flynn and moving into the Caravan Park house to take care of Sally.
When Cassie got together with Martha’s brother Macca, Sally was initially supportive even when Cassie moved out but when Matilda confided her fears that Macca was hitting Cassie, we saw Sally’s inner strength come through. Storming round to Macca’s she warned him never to touch her daughter again and managed to convince Cassie to move home with her and supported her as she dealt with her abuse.
Sally was terrified to find a red light bulb in her house with the words ‘tick tock’ on it and demanded the truth from Peter who confessed that they suspected Zoe McAllister was alive after all. A terrified Sally spent months in fear as Zoe played out a series of mind games with Peter before eventually blowing up Martha and Jack’s wedding reception. With Martha missing and Mr Stewart suffering from heart problems Sally had to go into full support mode in the aftermath and she very strongly outlined her objections when Cassie began growing close to Macca again.
Things did pick up for Sally though as Rachel’s mother’s death at the hands of Zoe and her fiancé Kim being missing caused Rachel to break down and allowed Sally to meet her brother Brad, who turned up to support her. There seemed to be an instant attraction between Sally and Brad but he continued to act strangely around her, giving her mixed signals and jumping when she mentioned Flynn. She was angered when, after convincing her to go for the Principal’s job, he was offered it and was left surprised when he introduced his fiancé Emily.
When Emily revealed to Sally that she had terminal leukaemia, Sally put aside her own memories of Flynn to support Brad and Emily and when Emily finally passed away she comforted Brad as they grew closer. Rocco Cooper’s arrival in town had caused troubles between Sally and Brad when Sally wanted to give ex-gang member Rocco a chance and offered him a room in her house. Brad, however was convinced that Rocco couldn’t change and when his brother and gang leader, Johnny Cooper arrived in the Bay and instantly began terrorising Brad, it seemed he was right. Brad backed down though when Rocco turned up, seemingly beaten by Johnny and Sally asked him to move in with them. Johnny meanwhile continued to terrorise Brad eventually running him off the road and as Sally tended to his injuries they shared a ‘moment’ and finally admitted they had feelings for each other. Whilst agreeing that they’d always love Flynn and Emily, Sally and Brad decided to give their relationship a go.
Unknown to Sally and Brad though Rocco was still very much under his brother’s influence, despite his attempts to get out and on Johnny’s orders, had begun stealing from the Caravan Park Bank Account and was helping Johnny carry out a spate of robberies in the Bay. Under influence from PC Ash Nader and with the realisation he’d never be free, Rocco betrayed his brother to help the police catch Johnny but Johnny overheard and changed the plans. At this point though Sally had become suspicious of Rocco and after some snooping, unearthed the gang’s plan and went to the Police, which led to Johnny’s arrest.
Johnny though, wasn’t prepared to let Sally get away with having him arrested and in an ultimatum to his brother, told Rocco he had to kill Sally or be killed himself. Having shared her first kiss under the mistletoe with Brad, in the gripping Australian season finale a sobbing Rocco appeared to hug Sally before stabbing her and leaving her to die in the car park of the School. She was found by Brad and was rushed to the hospital, where doctors started to operate on her. It was touch and go for a while but she managed to pull through, much to the relief of family, friends and viewers alike. Even though she was making a good recovery, her memory of the night of the attack was non-existent and she was clueless as to who was responsible.
Whilst in hospital, Sally decided to leave her wedding ring off, signalling that she was happy to start a new chapter of her life with Brad. Brad wasn’t so sure about taking the same step, however, and kept his ring on. Sally was fully supportive and understood that it was harder for him to take that step. About a week after the attack, Sally was discharged from hospital and was welcomed home by family and friends who had arranged a ‘Welcome Home’ gathering. That night, Sally started to remember small details of the night of the attack, but her memories were sketchy and she was unable to piece anything together. Rocco was in the room when Sally was talking about her faint memories, and started to panic.
The following day, Rocco tried to leave the Bay but was stopped by Sally who wanted to know what was going on. Rocco simply said “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry”, before walking out of the door. Those words jogged Sal’s memory and she was able to remember that it was Rocco who stabbed her. Ric, being Ric, took things into his own hands and had a fight with Rocco, but was unable to stop him from getting in the car and driving off.
That afternoon, Rocco was found lying unconscious on the floor of an unknown house. Sally, Brad and Matilda were shocked to find Ric there with blood all over his hands. Ric told them that he had nothing to do with it, which Sally believed. But when Rocco died, Ric was sent to jail for his murder. However, with the help of Ric’s family and friends, he was freed and let out around a week later. And all were overjoyed that he was back in Summer Bay House, particularly Sally.
The hospital ball was a happy occasion for Sally, when Brad announced that he was spending his wife and his mother’s inheritance on funding a new scholarship for the hospital: The Flynn Saunders Fellowship Award. Sally was thrilled at Brad’s kind gesture and they made the decision to move in together shortly afterwards. In true Home and Away style, Brad’s welcoming into the house included a photo of him and Sally being placed on the mantel piece alongside the other family photos.
Alf’s eyesight was deteriorating to such an extent that while driving his ute he knocked Sally down. Sally wasn’t hurt, but it made Alf think and give up driving.
When Brad’s teaching career started to hit the rocks thanks to Lucas’s ex-girlfriend Naomi making up lies to the education department, Sally supported him but had to break the news that he wasn’t going to be reinstated as principal. Brad didn’t seem overly concerned by the news, however, and pulled out a ring box and asked Sally to marry him. Sally was shocked and didn’t think it was the right time to making a big decision that would change their lives. Brad was upset that Sally turned down his proposal and was also upset that the engagement party, which was going to include a cruise on Alf’s boat, wasn’t going to go ahead. However, Alf convinced Brad and the others to go on the boat anyway.
Brad had called Pippa days before and had asked her to come to the Bay for the engagement party, so she was surprised when Sally told her that she’d declined his proposal. But, Pippa supported Sally and knew that the decision she had made was the right one for her. Stormy weather battered Summer Bay and caused Brad, Ric, Dan and Alf to go missing at sea. A long night was ahead for everyone, but especially Sally, who now felt terrible for not accepting Brad’s proposal. The next day the weather was clear and everyone on the boat was found safe and well. Sally had also had a change of heart and accepted Brad’s offer of marriage.
Brad was keen to get things underway and set the wedding date for six weeks away. Sally told Brad that she thought it was too soon, but she later agreed on the date. Nerves continued to set in for Sally and it was obvious that she still wasn’t happy. Things got even worse when it was revealed that Cassie was seeing Brad’s best man, Henk, who had sexually assaulted Rachel eight years ago. Brad got into a fight with Henk which resulted in him being rushed to hospital. Sally asked Brad if they should call of the wedding considering what had just happened to Henk, but he said he still wanted it to go ahead.
The big day arrived, and with any Summer Bay wedding, it wasn’t plain sailing. Everyone was down at the beach, except Sally. Back at Summer Bay House, Pippa and Sally had a chat and she told her that she just couldn’t go through with it. That news got back to Brad, who was shocked but adamant that she would change her mind. Wanting to know the reasons behind her decision, Fisher turned up at the house and asked Sally why she felt she couldn’t go through with it. Sally told him that she did love Brad but felt like she was pretending by going through with the wedding. She then gave him a picture of her and Flynn renewing their wedding vows.
Brad moved out of Summer Bay House, and things started to go downhill for Sally for a while. The teachers at Summer Bay High were worried about her and weren’t impressed with how her home life was effecting her at school. At home, with Ric away and Cassie staying with Henk, it was up to Sally to keep things running smoothly.
Alf looked after little Pippa while Sally was at work, but when a woman knocked on the door asking Alf to move his ute, tragedy was just around the corner. Having witnessed the whole thing in front of her, Sally was frantic as she watched her little daughter walk out behind Alf’s ute before being hit. She was taken to hospital where her condition slowly started to improve. However, it was touch and go for a while, with doctors’ not sure if her back injuries were severe. Sally had an argument with Alf in the hospital, and when Colleen and Leah started arranging a welcome home party for Pippa, Sally opened up to Leah about how she felt she had lost the one constant in her life – Mr Stewart.
She later changed her mind and had Colleen change Pippa’s cake to ‘welcome home Pippa and Mr Stewart’. With things at home back on more of an even keel and some of Brad’s anger towards Sally, now diminished Sally began to think there was hope for them rekindling their romance. They shared a kiss but Brad was furious when the whole town found out and blamed Sally, not realising it was Colleen who had spread the news. Brad received an offer of a job in Tasmania and after a heart to heart with Sally, he told her that they loved each other but that it wasn’t enough for her. They parted on good terms as he left the Bay for a fresh start.
When Miles later appeared at the caravan park, Sally instantly sensed a connection between herself and the young man, yet she didn’t quite know why.They continued to meet on various occasions, including once at Ric’s 20th birthday, with Miles discussing the many similarities between the two, such as teaching and being widows. Sally’s supportive nature led to Miles revealing the biggest surprise in Sally’s life – he was Milco and her brother! Sally didn’t believe him at first, but after some prompting she recalled some long-forgotten childhood memories, and eventually remembered that he was her twin brother! The siblings reconnected and Sally immediately informed Pippa of the news. However that evening Sally got a call from Jack Holden, informing her that savage criminal had escaped from prison and was on his way to Summer Bay.
After refusing to flee to the city for protection, the Bay’s resident’s set about keeping Sally on watch. With ex-SAS Roman and the police on guard. Sally felt reasonably safe. One night, whilst Miles & Roman were on watch, Johnny stormed into the house with a knife, threatening to kill Colleen if Sally didn’t come down. After a tense confrontation, Miles lunged at Johnny and Johnny stabbed Sally!
Whilst on the operating table, Sally’s dead foster father Tom appeared to her in a near death experience/vision. Sally had to choose whether she moved on or went back to her old life. Severely tempted to go and meet Flynn in the afterlife, Sally decided to go back to the bay, telling Tom “If I went up there now, I don’t think Flynn would be there waiting for me.” So she moved back to the realm of the living, not before Tom told her the books will be balanced, meaning if she went back someone would take her place.
So upon learning of Dan Baker’s death, Sally was convinced it was her fault, but after reassurances from Leah, Dan’s wife, that it wasn’t her fault, Sally helped comfort Leah in the grieving process.
Meanwhile, whilst Sally was in hospital, science teacher Martin Bartlett, took the acting principal’s position and the Department Of Education fired Sally as principal, transferring to an admin job in the city. Sally’s second love was teaching, but she needed to be in the classroom, so she quit. With new found resolve and support from Miles, Sally decides to go travelling.
Upon discovering that Cassie was pregnant and HIV positive, Sally asks Cassie to accompany her and Pippa on their trip as Cassie can only travel for a few more months. Miles got a job at the school as a teacher and organized a farewell concert for the kids to say goodbye to Sally.
Some past faces returned to the Bay to see Sally off with Pippa Sr, Carly, Steven and Floss coming back. After an emotional farewell concert the group returned to the house to discover all the furniture had been stolen. Sally wanted to stay, but Pippa and Miles convinced her that it was the right decision.
When the final day dawned, Sally was afraid to say goodbye to the constant in her life – Alf. She avoided him as she didn’t know what to say, but unbeknownst to her, whilst reflecting on the beach, Alf had come by and avoided her too as he couldn’t bring himself to say bye. Sally presented Miles with a gift – half ownership of the caravan park and a promise to pray for his late wife and daughter in Phuket.
Taking one last look around the now empty house, Sally walked out for the last time to say her final goodbye. As she stood on the beach staring out to sea, Alf approached her and said that wherever she is in the world, she would never forget Summer Bay. They reminisced about their 20 years together and Alf told her that he couldn’t have been more proud of her if she was his own. As they had a final hug she told him that she was going to miss him the most, and Alf asked her to call him by his first name, just this one. This brought the emotional line of “You will always be Mr. Stewart to me, Alf.” With her hardest goodbye now said, Sally walked up to Pippa’s waiting car and drove away to her new life.