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Neighbourhood > Guest Character Profiles > Merridy Jackson Suzi Cato

When Louise Carpenter had a tough time settling into primary school, her father Lou was sure that the problem lay with her teacher, Merridy Jackson. But the principal of the high school Susan Kennedy had heard only good things about her colleague and told Lou that Merridy was a very good teacher and suggested that there was another reason for Lolly's unhappiness at school. Determined to get to the bottom of things, Lou seized the chance to discuss the issue with Merridy when he met her for the first time when she was a customer in his pub one afternoon. But Merridy refused to talk about school in her private time and Lou was forced to make an appointment to meet her at the school on another occasion. Merridy proved to be a smooth cookie, though, and rather than getting to the bottom of Louise's problems at school, Lou found himself getting roped into helping out at the school's cake sale. By the end of a day working alongside Merridy on one of the cake stands, Lou admitted he found her attractive and she agreed to go on a date with him. As they spent an afternoon by Lassiter's Lake, they realised they had something in common when they discussed how they had lost their partners in tragic circumstances - Merridy's husband died in a boating accident while Lou's partner Cheryl had been knocked over.

Just as it looked like there might be potential for a romance between the pair, Lou had to go to Queensland for a few weeks to look after his older daughter Lauren's stud farm while she went on a second honeymoon. Once he returned, he plucked up the courage to ask Merridy out properly, especially after Louise showed signs of approval, but was disappointed when Merridy broke the news to him that she was leaving for a new teaching post in Katherine, up in the Northern Territory. On the eve of her departure, Lou admitted he was falling in love with her and Merridy, torn between giving things a go and starting afresh in her new job, agreed to return to Erinsborough in six months if they both still felt the same way. Lou visited Merridy once she had settled in, with a view to sourcing a nice pub in the Outback for him to buy so he could permanently relocate there but the pair quickly realised Lou couldn't fit into life in the Outback and agreed there was no future for them before Lou returned to Erinsborough.

Trivia Notes
• Suzy Cato (as Suzy Cato-Gashler) returned to Neighbours in 2024 as Shirley Burchmore

Biography by Moe

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