It’s a huge week in Home and Away as Irene farewells John and Cohen sees his father return.
From hearing that his mother no longer wants to be his guardian, to meeting his estranged father, young Cohen has been pulled in many different directions. And fighting to keep him close is loyal Roo. But will the potential foster mother now have to let him go?
In Home And Away this week Cohen (Nathan Murray) yearns to learn more about his dad, Adrian (Tom Matthews), who recently came into his life. But Adrian’s bond with Cohen is clouded with fear.
Adrian claims he doesn’t know how to be a dad and Roo (Georgie Parker) worries that part of him doesn’t actually want to be one. But, for Roo, who’s in the process of becoming Cohen’s foster mother, the idea of saying goodbye to the boy is simply too much.
“Cohen has begun to trust her and can see how caring she is,” Nathan, 15, says of their bond.
Adrian arrives at Roo’s house for dinner and excitedly tells Cohen about his family, promising that he’ll introduce the youngster to them all.
But, the next day, while Cohen and Alf (Ray Meagher) are bonding over fishing and family yarns, Roo stumbles upon Adrian packing his car. Without explanation, he abruptly claims that he has to leave: “Tell Cohen I’m sorry.”
Roo is devastated – it wasn’t that long ago that she had to break the news to Cohen that his mother didn’t want guardianship, and now his father has seemingly abandoned him too.
“That [decision by his mother] crushed Cohen and so it was very hard for Roo to break this news to him,” Nathan explains.
It’s another crushing blow for the young man who fears no one cares for him. Noticing how heart-broken he is, Roo heads to the police station and asks Sergeant David (Jeremy Lindsay Taylor) for Adrian’s address. She’s going to track him down and make him hear her out.
Can she convince Adrian to come back? Or will she just drive the reluctant dad further away?
Also This Week…
While the thought of saying goodbye to Irene Roberts has hit home for many, no one has been more affected than her best friend, John.
During her farewell party, hosted by the Summer Bay community, music is playing, love and laughter are in the air, but the man who means the most to Irene (Lynne McGranger) is missing.
Since announcing she is leaving Summer Bay to travel the world, Irene has faced resistance and fear from John (Shane Withington). He worries for her safety as her Alzheimer’s progresses, but what he won’t say out loud is that he’ll miss her.
With the party in full swing, Irene begins to worry that he’s not coming. No one knows his whereabouts and, as the hours tick on, he still doesn’t show.
As speeches begin, John finally appears and the friends share a tight embrace, knowing it could be for the last time. John raises a glass, hushing the crowd to begin his words.
With admiration and praise, the town celebrates a local legend – and John farewells the ‘bravest woman’ he’s ever known, before dancing with her.
Keep your tissues handy, H&A fans.
In Lynne’s own words…
“I want to reiterate how grateful I am to all the fans and everyone who has supported and travelled with Irene on her journey.
To everyone I’ve connected with in person and on social media – and even the people I’ve driven up the wall, who have kindly told me so! It’s been a wild ride. I’m extremely blessed.”
