The Characters
Sam Crews
Born in St George Hospital, raised in Hurstville, studied at Wollongong University and works in Manly - Sam is a Sydneysider through and through.
His passion for football sees him tuned in to the TV at all hours of the early morning to watch his cherished Everton in the English Premier League and if you happen to be in the Sutherland Shire on a Sunday during footy season, pop into The Ridge where you may well find Sam playing centre midfield for his beloved Bangor Brumbies.
Mary Swanson
Mary’s dazzling smile and magnetic mien can often hide her steely resolve, especially when it comes to helping people who are vulnerable.
In her spare time, Mary likes to plonk herself on the couch, listen to Eminem and create quilts for her friends. She also hosts a podcast, entitled GLAM, so if you have any God Looks After Me stories, let her know. She would love to have you on as a guest.
Paddy Roach
Since making his busking debut on the main street of Alice Springs when he was nine years old, Paddy has travelled around, and performed in, virtually every part of Australia. But it’s his beloved Buskers Burrow in Manly where he has pulled up stumps, though he does head back home to Far North Queensland at least twice a year to see his close-knit family.
Paddy is also in the middle of writing a movie script, entitled “Buskers” a tale of performers from around the country coming together for the annual Australian Street Entertainers Championship (ASEC).
Abbey Jones
When she’s not assisting Dr Levene at the IVF clinic or looking after her son, Vincent, beautiful Abbey spends much of her time immersed in her psychology degree. She is also a keen painter and seen as a bit of a dab hand at chess. If you ever get to play her, be prepared for a lengthy session as Abbey has the patience of Job.
Gavin "Bulldog"
Loves watching cartoons and is a big fan of Walt Disney. Gavin also fancies himself at table tennis and enjoys a round of golf though his handicap of 26 has raised a few eyebrows. Rumour has it that he only submits his poor scoring cards so his handicap stays high, thus making him more competitive in the Saturday morning stableford.
If you are out in Sydney’s west on the weekend in the vicinity of the Ryde Golf Club, pop in as you may see Bulldog there carving up (literally) the course.
Logan Johns
If you listen closely you may detect a hint of a Canadian accent, thanks to the first seven years of his life being spent in Saskatchewan. But when his father, a mining executive, was promoted to head of the company’s Pacific operations and moved the family to Sydney, Logan embraced the Australian culture with bells on. He played first grade rugby league, sports a number of tattoos and surfs at least three times a week, irrespective of whether the beach is open or not. The true Aussie way. Rarely out of a suit -whether it be business for the bank or wet for the waves - Logan has time for everyone and is your quintessential nice guy.
If he’s not at a yoga class or gym session, there is every chance you will find him surfing the waves at Manly beach.
Brianna V'Landys
Bree, as she is affectionately known, has a heart of gold. Her beauty on the outside is matched by the beauty on her inside. She is also highly proficient in the art of chocolte cake making and it would surprise nobody if one day she took the plunge and made cakes commercially. If you see a “Bree’s Bakery” in a shopping mall or line of shops in the foreseeable future, make sure you drop in to say hello, and savour one of her exquisite cakes.
Johnny Kep
There are close to 650 national parks in Australia and Johnny’s goal is to take photographs at every one of them. So far he is about one-sixth of the way there. with his pick of the bunch Bungoona, though he suspects that will change once he finally makes it to the Daintree in Queensland and Kakadu in the Northern Territory.
Carla Ihly
It was Carla’s idea to open a cafe called the TAB but she didn’t have the money to execute her concept so approached her boss at the time, when she worked in a Manly restaurant, to go into partnership with her, 50/50: she comes up with the idea, he comes up with the finance.
11 months later the Tea And Biscuits cafe was up and running and they haven’t looked back since.
Carla has a penchant for an Irish Breakfast cuppa and a pastry so if you have similar tastes, just ask her for a Daily Double.
Renita Beret
The Sydney marathon is generally held in August each year and among the 25,000 plus runners, you can expect to see Renita there. After 4 attempts she cracked the 5 hour mark with a very respectable time of 4 hours, 42 minutes. Renita has her sights on the New York marathon and with her tenacity, drive and desire to improve, 4 and-a half hours is not out of the question.
