Billy McVeigh

Billy McVeigh (2011)
Dallas Bigelow
Episodes: 5280–5282; 5286

Occupation: Deckhand

---

While Elijah was running a local mission for his friend Janelle Riley, Billy, a homeless youngster, turned up looking for Janelle and a bed for the night. Elijah told him they were full up but he would try and find him somewhere. However, when Elijah told Billy he could stay in his caravan for the night, Billy attacked him and ran off, leaving him badly beaten. The next morning, Romeo found Billy sleeping on the Blaxland, while Colleen shooed him away when she found him scavenging in the Diner bins for food. Billy asked Romeo for work, saying his name was Max, and Romeo gave him a trial as a deckhand when he took Morag and Roo out. However, Morag quickly realised who he really was, especially when he answered to Billy, and surreptitiously called the police, who arrested Billy when the boat got back to the wharf.

Billy claimed he had acted in self-defence when Elijah tried to sexually assault him and Elijah suspected he had taken his offer of a bed the wrong way. When he learned that Billy had been abused, he felt he shouldn’t press charges but was warned that it could look like an admission of guilt. Colleen saw Billy out on bail and Elijah went looking for him. Billy panicked when Elijah approached and threatened him with a fisherman’s knife, but Elijah managed to disarm and restrain him. Roo, who had witnessed the incident, contacted the police while Elijah talked to Billy. Billy noted that Elijah wasn’t like the people that had hurt him, since he had the opportunity to do so and didn’t take it, and Elijah advised him to look for the good in people. They both decided to drop their complaint against each other.