Cassie and Matilda
This was a friendship that for me always seemed to be really genuine, it had its ups and downs but as friendships go, the one between Matilda and Cassie was probably one of the strongest on the show in recent times. Before Cassie arrived in The Bay, Matilda didn't really have any close girl friends, instead she hung around on the fringes of Ric Dalby's group or with her twin Henry. There was instant rivalry between Cassie and Matilda when Cassie seemed to have caught the eye of Ric, who Matilda fancied. Cassie though was determined to be friends and told Matilda that she could do much better than Ric and Matilda found herself warming to her. Lucas's arrival on the scene meant Matilda was no longer hung up on Ric and she was the one determined to get Ric and Cassie back together. They became closer friends bonding over Flynn's death and their respective relationship break-ups. When Belle threatened Cassie's relationship with Ric, Matilda firmly took her side and even slapped Belle for the trouble she caused. In turn Cassie supported Matilda as her relationship to Lucas deteriorated. Cassie was there for Matilda when she was burnt in the aftermath of the explosion at Jack and Martha's wedding and she was the one who first recognised Matilda's symptoms of bulimia. In turn Matilda was the one who became suspicious of Cassie's relationship with Macca and forced Rachel and then Sally to intervene when she realised he was hitting her friend.
Their relationship struggled when Matilda took Ric's side over her affair with Macca but with Ric and Matilda becoming an item and Ric forgiving Cassie, Matilda rebuilt their friendship. It was Matilda who helped Cassie escape when Macca was violent towards her a second time and supported her through her subsequent failed relationships. In turn Cassie was there for Matilda when she lost her mother and when she took off on a road trip it was Cassie who convinced her to come home. Matilda was the only person Cassie would confide in about Henk and Cassie became Matilda's sounding board over Ric's growing attraction to Viv. After finding out Ric had cheated with Viv, Cassie gave him an ultimatum to tell Matilda but Viv beat her to it. Angry that Cassie had known, Matilda emotionally blackmailed her into drink driving and after the crash that followed Cassie was arrested and a few angry words were exchanged. With apologies on both sides they rebuilt their friendship and it was Matilda who caused the prosecution key witness to change his statement and let Cassie off the hook. Matilda was the first to know Cassie was pregnant and one of the few let in on Cassie's HIV secret. She supported Cassie through her diagnosis and was with Martha when she broke the news to Cassie of Dan's death.
Matilda was pleased for Cassie when she decided to go travelling but also gutted at her best friend leaving and both girls moaned to Ric that they felt they had hardly seen each other. Ric arranged for them to head up the coast on a road trip and Cassie left the Bay with Matilda temporarily at her side, assumedly saying their good byes at Pippa's house in
Cassie and Sally
Was Sally a mother to Cassie or was she more like an older sister and a friend? It is something that has been debated a lot on our forum but I like to think that in Sally, Cassie got a combination of all three. Sally and Flynn fostered Cassie when she had nowhere else to turn and encouraged her to face up to her abusive past. They acted as parent figures during her teenage years, disciplining her when she did things wrong but Flynn's death changed the family dynamic somewhat. Ric stepped more into the man of the house role and The Stewarts moved in and Sally and Cassie became progressively closer. Sally came to Cassie's rescue when Macca was hitting her and told her she disapproved of her decision to later move to the city to be with him. Though she expressed her disapproval Sally always let Cassie reach her own decisions and make her own mistakes whilst dishing out sound advice and as a result Cassie turned more and more to Sally with her problems. In the aftermath of Sally's failed relaionship to Brad it was Cassie who picked up the pieces of Sally's life and supported her when Pippa was run over. With Cassie now pregnant and with HIV, it was Sally who helped her regain some of her control by suggesting they go travelling together and as they set off round the world together it was as a combination of mother and daughter, sisters and friends.
Cassie and Pippa
I always found this relationship really sweet. Quite often in Caravan Park moments we'd see Cassie pick Pippa up and take her to bed or Pippa run to Cassie to show her something or hug her and tell her she loved her. Cassie was very much in the role of a much older sister and often acted as a second mother to Pip, doing things for her and generally parenting her. When Pippa was run over Cassie was as devastated as anyone and relieved when she turned out to be fine. Colleen upset Cassie by suggesting that she might infect Pippa with HIV by holding her hand but Pippa continued to run to and hug Cassie causing Sally to comment that little Pip was one person to whom Cassie was still the same. Their last moment on screen came at Cassie's farewell where she picked Pippa up and kissed her. Now travelling the world together with Sally, we can assume that Pippa and Cassie have as close a sisterly bond as ever.
Cassie and Ric
Friends, lovers or siblings? These two have been all three. They started out as a love interest and both were each other's first loves. They split over a misunderstanding only to get back together and then split again because of another misunderstanding. They both moved onto other relationships and for a time it seemed their relationship was that of friendship until they fell back into each others arms. Cassie cheating with Macca put paid to the third time lucky but they managed to rebuild their friendship when Ric began dating Cassie's best friend Matilda. In the past year though Ric and Cassie have seemed more to me like brother and sister with Cassie berating Ric for doing things she didn't approve of and Ric calling Cassie selfish over her affair with Henk. Her HIV scare bought them closer together and as Ric supported her through her clinic appointments and helped her come to terms with her diagnosis their sibling relationship seemed to grow in strength. At Sally's farewell concert they sat side by side exchanging glances and recollecting good times and as their family split down the middle their bond remained as strong as ever.
Cassie and Martha
Martha was slightly older than Cassie but they never let this stand in the way of their friendship. Whilst not as close as Cassie was to Matilda, her and Martha did share an easy friendship. Martha warned her brother not to hurt Cassie and very firmly took Cassie's side when Macca abused her. Cassie was bridesmaid at her wedding to Jack and after she moved into the Caravan Park they lived for a time almost as sisters. Cassie was someone who attempted to get close to Martha in her downward spiral following her abortion. They bonded over a shared admiration for Henk and Martha was one of the few to give her approval on their relationship. Martha helped Henk deceive Cassie into getting her blood test results and as a result was the first person to know about Cassie's HIV diagnosis. She was the one to break the news of Dan's death and as Cassie left the bay Martha was on hand to wave farewell after feeling her baby kick for the first time.
Cassie and BelleWatching Belle hugging Cassie, taking photographs and looking distinctly teary-eyed as she said goodbye an independent observer would have been surprised to hear that these two were the worst of enemies when Belle first arrived in the bay. When Belle first arrived she was befriended by Cassie's then boyfriend Ric who hid her away in his bedroom much to Cassie's disgust. Cassie's distrust of Belle continued to grow and with seeming reason as Belle planted a kiss on Ric in full view of Cassie. Pretty soon Ric and Cassie were no more and Belle was his new girlfriend. Whilst best friend Matilda refused to forgive Belle, Cassie, caught up in new love with Macca was able to put the past behind her and whilst not her best friend, they managed to get along. Belle seeing their friend Lucas helped to breach the gap and Belle's refusal to judge when Cassie chested on Ric formed the base of a friendship. Over the last year Belle, Cassie and Matilda grew increasingly closer and with Matilda caught up with Ric, it was Belle that Cassie turned to in her fledging romance with Jules. With Cassie's recent troubles and Belle's break up, the two have supported each other and become firm friends, hence the tears at Cassie's farewell.
Cassie and Alf
The heading should really read Cassie and Mr Stewart because like her foster mother Sally, Cassie has never called Alf by his first name as a sign of respect. After Flynn died, Alf moved into The Caravan Park to help support them through a difficult period and he stayed there ever since. As Ric and Martha's grandfather and a surrogate father to Sally, he became a sort of grandfather figure to Cassie too. In the aftermath of her HIV diagnosis Alf told her that he thought of her as his own granddaughter but Cassie was hurt when, after telling him about her HIV he left abruptly. The next day they had a chat and Alf told her he was sorry and that he was there for her and saw her in a new light when she supported a stressed out Colleen. As he hugged her and wished her farewell it was with the sadness of a grandfather saying goodbye to a much loved granddaughter.
Cassie and Colleen
Colleen was introduced to Cassie as her beloved grandmother's oldest rival, but after Joy's death Colleen was sympathetic and living in the Caravan Park where Colleen was regarded with affection almost as part of the family, Cassie too came to look on her as such. Despite the numerous times Collen spoke without thinking, Cassie usually managed to let it wash over her and regarded Colleen with an amused affection most of the time. Colleen upset Cassie by suggesting that she might contaminate Pippa but was shame faced and later apologised to Cassie and despite being upset Cassie forgave her and even comforted her when Alf had upset her. Though perhaps not the closest to Cassie, Colleen was a part of her extended family.
Cassie and Irene
When Cassie and Ric split and they refused to live under the same roof it was Cassie who moved out to Irene's. Irene was supportive of her, despite her having issues with Belle and offered her a roof over her head any time she needed it. Running The Diner, Irene was a major part of the community and in turn had a role to play in Cassie's life. She was supportive of Cassie's HIV diagnosis and told her she could always come to her if she needed to.