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Neighbourhood > Guest Character Profiles > Candace Barkham Kate Whitbread

Candace Barkham 2003
Occupation: Principal at Erinsborough High School

Candace arrived at Erinsborough High as a permanent replacement for Susan Kennedy, who had been forced to leave her job due to suffering retrograde amnesia. Ms. Barkham couldn’t have been more different from the woman whose job she took. Where Susan was known for her warm personality and occasional leniency, Candace took no prisoners.

As soon as Susan returned to the school, in her new role as VCE co-ordinator, the two women clashed. Susan felt that Candace had it in for her, while Candace believed Susan was threatened by seeing someone in her old job. While Susan wanted to give her English class free reign over their choice of novels to study, Candace over-ruled her, stating that they must choose from the reading list. Later, when a job teaching media studies came up at the school, Libby went for an interview but was not given the job, something else Susan felt was simply to get at her.

When Karl started attending alcoholics anonymous meetings, after a recent brush with drink driving, he struck up a conversation with a woman there, little realising that it was his wife’s arch-enemy. Candace was attending the meetings to research a talk on alcohol at the school, but when Susan found out, she felt betrayed by her husband. Karl tried to convince her that she was being irrational and even invited Candace to dinner, so the two of them could work things out. The meeting did little to help matters, though it did show that Candace was willing to try, though Susan wasn’t quite so willing to listen.

Elsewhere, Candace also had a running feud with Lori Lee, who had recently started at the school in order to finish year 12. Lori was a bit of a free spirit and refused to wear the uniform, but Candace forced her to wear one from lost property. The feud continued as Lori frequently ‘forgot’ to come to school in uniform and it ended with her almost being thrown out after Taj took a picture of Ms. Barkham with a wedgie and it was posted all over the school.

Several months later, Sky and Boyd got an insight into the personal life of Candace when they decided to answer a personal ad from a woman named Candy. It seemed that Candace had bumped into a guy wearing a blue suit at the fruit market and had felt a connection. Sky and Boyd arranged a fake meeting with ‘Blue Suit Guy’ at the Coffee Shop, but seeing how heartbroken Candace was when he didn’t turn up, they made it their mission to find him. When they found the guy at the fruit market, they tried to pass a message on to him showing him the advert, but failed. Eventually, they got the pair of them to Lassiter’s restaurant at the same time, where they hit it off and left together.

Candace’s softer side was revealed again around this time, when she visited Libby at home. Libby had quit her job after everyone found out that she’d slept with Taj, one of her students. Candace visited her and explained that she, too, had once had an affair with a student when she first started out as a teacher. She told Libby that she’d left the profession afterwards and deeply regretted it. Libby was touched by this and, when Candace told her of a teaching job in Adelaide, she took it.

Notes: Kate Whitbread has played numerous other guest roles in Neighbours including Glen's doctor, Dr.Greer, in early 1992 and Janet Harper, Julie and Philip's marriage guidance counsellor the following year

Biography by Steve

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