List of Neighbours characters introduced in 1998
Neighbours is an Australian television soap opera created by Reg Watson. It was first broadcast on 18 March 1985. The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the serial in 1998, by order of first appearance. All characters were introduced by the show's executive producer Stanley Walsh. The 14th season of Neighbours began airing from 19 January 1998. Sally Upton was introduced during the following month. March saw the arrivals of Nicholas Atkins and Drew Kirk, while Joel Samuels and Veronica Olenski made their debuts in May. Karen Oldman and Mike Healey began appearing from August. [|Tad Reeves] and Geri Hallett were both introduced during November.
Sally Upton
Sally Upton, played by Sally Davis, made her first screen appearance on 23 February 1998. Three weeks prior to playing Sally, Davis made a guest appearance in the show as [|Alison Nova]. Shortly after Sally's introduction, she became a love interest for Joel Samuels. The couple were initially not "on the same wavelength", but they became closer when Sally confided in Joel about her mother's death. Sally was "opinionated" and "quite pushy". Her green Volkswagen Beetle car was later owned by Libby Kennedy, Sally's one time love rival.Sally works as an assistant at the Erinsborough University radio station UniFM, alongside Toadfish Rebecchi. Toadie introduces Sally to his housemate Joel Samuels and she is instantly attracted to him. Joel initially finds Sally hard to work out, but they soon begin dating. Sally opens up to Joel about the death of her mother and they become closer, but when Sally notices the closeness between Joel and Libby Kennedy, she becomes jealous and suspects Joel has feelings for Libby. Sally and Joel also fall out over Libby and Sarah Beaumont, as Sally had made friends with Sarah and did not understand the bad feelings between Sarah and Libby's family. Sally has difficulty dealing with the anniversary of her mother's death and her heightened emotions cause her to reject Joel's attempts at sympathy. She then accuses Joel of cheating on her and ends their relationship.
Weeks later, Sally runs into Drew Kirk at the local pub and they decide to go and see a movie together. While Drew goes to change, Sally waits downstairs for him. However, she then bursts into his room and tries to kiss him. Drew rejects her as he is friends with Joel. After Joel ends up in the hospital, things between Sally and Drew become awkward, especially as Joel believes Sally still has feelings for him. Sally plays along, as she is worried that rejecting Joel might affect his recovery. When she begins to struggle with the charade, Sally tells Joel that she cannot see him anymore and leaves.
A writer for the BBC's official Neighbours website said Sally's most notable moment was "rushing in on Drew when he was changing and attempting to kiss him."
Nicholas Atkins
Nicholas "Nick" Atkins, played by Jason Crewes, made his first appearance on 12 March 1998. Crewes was appearing on fellow soap opera Breakers at the same time as he was appearing in Neighbours. His character was the third member of the Atkins family to be introduced. Nick immediately causes upset when he "comes down heavy" on his young sister Caitlin Atkins, after catching her with her boyfriend. One of Nick's first storylines saw him pretend to be Toadfish Rebecchi. Another notable storyline saw him accused of assault. When the charges were dropped, it left Nick "feeling bitter about the experience" and wondering whether he should accept more work at Erinsborough High.The character's departure was confirmed in the 23–29 May 1998 issue of TV Week. Nick and Caitlin depart Neighbours at the same time to return to Adelaide. The siblings have "a cheeky farewell" after Caitlin paints a goodbye message on the road to make sure the residents do not forget them in a hurry. Their exit aired on 24 June 1998. Tony Johnston, author of Neighbours: 20 Years of Ramsay Street, branded Nicholas "handsome". Peter Grant of the Liverpool Echo called him a "big bad brother". While Stephen Murphy from Inside Soap thought Nick and his sister "made a big impact in Erinsborough".
Nick arrives in Erinsborough to look after his younger sister, Caitlin. He arrives just as Caitlin tries to run away with her boyfriend, [|Josh Hughes]. Nick argues with his brother Ben over Caitlin, as they both feel that they can care for her better than the other. Karen Oldman, a fan of Toadie's, comes over and mistakes Nick for Toadie. As Toadie is worried that Karen will be disappointed to see the real him, he convinces Nick to pretend to be him for a while longer. Nick is uncomfortable with the deception, but goes along with it. He is relieved when Toadie later reveals himself to Karen. Nick finds himself in charge of Caitlin when Ben moves away. He gets himself a job teaching at Erinsborough High and settles into the neighbourhood.
Nick befriends his colleague [|Jacquie Boyd], which upsets Caitlin, as she dislikes her. When student [|Mickey Dalton] falls out with Paul McClain, a fight breaks out between them and Nick tries to break it up. Mickey takes a fall and hurts his ankle, leading his mother, [|Jean] to sue Nick for assaulting her son. Nick is then suspended from the school. After his name is cleared, Nick is allowed to return to the school, but he admits that he is not sure he wants to continue teaching. When Nick and Caitlin's mother returns from the Middle East, Nick tells his sister that they are going home to Adelaide. Despite Caitlin's protests, they leave Erinsborough.
Drew Kirk
Drew Kirk, played by Dan Paris, made his first screen appearance on 27 March 1998. Neighbours was the first television show Paris auditioned for. He won the role of Drew straight away. He was contracted until March 2002. Drew is a country boy who previously worked on a farm in Oakey, before coming to Erinsborough. Drew replaced Ben Atkins at Carpenter Mechanics. James Joyce of the Newcastle Herald said Drew was a "suitably spunky rival" for Ben. Denise Everton from the Illawarra Mercury thought Drew was "nice, naive and gorgeous." Drew was known for his long hair, which gave him a "hippy look". Paris was banned from cutting his hair by the producers.Joel Samuels
Joel Samuels, played by Daniel MacPherson, made his first screen appearance on 13 May 1998. MacPherson auditioned for the show's casting director, Jan Russ, who then approached the producers and suggested they create the role of Joel for him. MacPherson joined the cast when he was seventeen. He relocated to Melbourne from Sydney for filming. Annette Dasey from Inside Soap said Joel was "good-looking, down-to-earth, friendly and a champion triathlete." She also branded him a "heart-throb", but MacPherson said Joel was unlucky in love, mostly due to his naivety. For his portrayal of Joel, MacPherson received a nomination for Most Popular New Male Talent at the 1999 Logie Awards.Veronica Olenski
Veronica Olenski, played by Caroline Lloyd, made her first screen appearance on 18 May 1998. Lloyd appeared in the semi-regular role of Dr. Olenski for eleven years. A notable storyline for Veronica saw the introduction of her husband Greg Michaels and his subsequent affair with Veronica's patient Stephanie Scully. Greg told Steph that he and Veronica had separated, despite the fact that they still lived together. Greg admitted that he cared for Veronica, but no longer loved her. When Steph attended a charity meeting, she received "short shrift" from Veronica who was the charity's chairwoman. Steph's young son was later injured in an accident and Veronica had to put her feelings aside to treat him.Dr. Veronica Olenski works as a doctor and gynaecologist at Erinsborough Hospital. Her first patient is competitive swimmer Caitlin Atkins, who she treats for exhaustion. A few months later, Dr. Olenski informs Joel Samuels that he has damaged the ligaments in his knee, and it is unlikely that he will ever be able to compete in triathlons again. Dr. Olenski treats [|Craig "Pinhead" Pinders], Libby Kennedy and Brendan Bell when they involved in road accidents. The following year, Dr. Olenski helps to deliver Libby's son and saves her life when she goes into cardiac arrest. Dr. Olenski also helps to deliver Oscar Scully, Ashley Thomas and Charlie Hoyland. That same year, Dr. Olenski becomes responsible for the care of Izzy Hoyland. Dr. Olenski accidentally gives away Izzy's pregnancy secret when she leaves a message on the Hoyland house phone about an ultrasound appointment.
Dr. Olenski is forced to deliver Sky Mangel's baby during a fire at the hospital, due to Sky's advanced labour. Once the baby is born, Dr. Olenski moves them to another part of the hospital. Six months later, Dr. Olenski treats Pepper Steiger for stage 2 cervical dysplasia and incorrectly diagnosis Susan Kennedy with the menopause, when she is really suffering from Multiple sclerosis. When Carmella Cammeniti suffers pains during her pregnancy, she is rushed to hospital where Dr. Olenski performs an ultrasound and assures Carmella that there is nothing to be alarmed about. Carmella later goes into premature labour and Dr. Olenski delivers her daughter by caesarean section. During Rosetta Cammeniti and Frazer Yeats's first ultrasound, Dr. Olenski cannot find their baby's heartbeat and believes that Rosie has experienced a false pregnancy. Frazer later asks Dr. Olenski if there is a chance that Rosie could still be pregnant, and she offers to perform another ultrasound. Dr. Olenski finds a heartbeat and tells Rosie and Frazer that they are expecting a baby after all.
When Dr. Olenski runs into Stephanie Scully at the hospital, she admits that she is having a tough day as her husband, Greg, has left her for another woman. Steph then admits that she is the other woman and Veronica slaps her. They exchange heated words at a breast cancer charity meeting, of which Veronica is the chairperson. When Charlie is injured, Veronica is forced to treat him and she calls a truce with Steph. However, she is upset when she later sees Steph hugging Greg and freezes her joint bank account. Steph tells Veronica that she is being unfair, but Veronica refuses to listen. Veronica lashes out at Steph and they get into a physical fight. Veronica later apologises and asks Greg for another chance, but he turns her down. When Susan plans to act as a surrogate for her daughter, Dr. Olenski warns her that the physical strain could cause a serious relapse of her MS. The local newspaper soon gets hold of the story and Dr. Olenski tells Susan's husband, Karl, that the hospital are not happy with the media attention. She also offers to fight the hospital's CEO over his opposition to IVF. Not long after, Dr. Olenski carries out the IVF procedure on Susan and treats a newborn India Napier.