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Character Profiles > Drew Kirk Dan Paris

Andrew 'Drew' Kirk 1998-2002
Lived: 22 Ramsay Street, Libby and Drew's flat
Parents: Ron and Rose Kirk
Marital Status: Libby Kennedy (2001-2002)
Siblings: Stuart, Sally and Dougal
Children: Ben
Family Tree: Kirk
Occupation: Carpenter's Mechanics Employee/Owner, Hemisfear Bouncer
Died: 2002

Drew came from the rural Queensland town Oakey, and was a real country boy. He came to Erinsborough to stay with his Aunt Janet and found himself working for Lou Carpenter in his car garage, choosing to leave his country life behind. Neighbour Anne Wilkinson was the first of many girls to be attracted to Drew. Having broken up with boyfriend Billy Kennedy again, she was on the lookout for love. Unfortunately for her, Drew wasn't interested, as Anne was far too young for him. Things weren't all that rosy between Lou and Drew however, as Lou suspected Drew was growing his own marijuana. After a rather embarrassing confrontation, Drew told Lou that the plants were, in actual fact, tomato plants. He at first lived with his Auntie, but after the house became too noisy, Lou was kind enough to allow him to lodge at Number 22.

Drew was an all round nice guy. He didn't have a single enemy, and no one could find a bad word to say about him. He was, in many ways, perfect. Drew tried his best to be friends with everyone. He was good friends with Libby Kennedy, and also with the girl her father had an affair with - Sarah Beaumont. Libby gave Drew an ultimatum ' her or Sarah. Although choosing to be on Libby's side, he was fond of Sarah as a friend, and did his best to maintain a friendly relationship with her. Soon afterwards, Drew's ex-girlfriend Shelley announced that she was coming to visit with her fiancé, Ray Hanson. In order to spare himself embarrassment, Drew asked Libby to pretend to be his girlfriend for the night. More embarrassments were to arise at the garage. Sandy, a customer, kept showing up with small, insignificant problems with her car in an attempt to see Drew and spend time with him, as did many women from the area. Drew thought nothing of this, thinking it was merely good business. Then one night at the pub, Sandy's husband Tim stormed in and punched Drew's lights out, believing that the mechanic had been having an affair with his wife.

It was during this event, that Drew began to fall deeply in love with Libby. Unfortunately for him, as he was about to tell her how much he liked her, Mike Healy, one of Libby's uni lecturers, arrived on the scene, and began to date Libby. As Drew patiently waited for Libby's affections, Joel Samuels' girlfriend Sally Upton showed up. Sally was naturally attracted to Drew's good looks and kind nature, and decided that he was the man for her. She flirted with him when they were alone in Number 30, but Drew was seemingly oblivious to this. As Joel lay in hospital after nearly drowning whilst being trapped under a car, Sarah saw the two of them looking 'close'. However, Drew's heart was pining for Libby still, so nothing amounted from it.

Having realised that Libby was deeply in love with Mike, he tried to go out with other people. He tried to find romance with Abby Hopetoun, who worked with Libby at the Erinsborough News. However, that only lasted one date. Kind-hearted Drew then was roped into performing a Full Monty at Lou's pub to raise some money for charity. He stripped to the bare bottom along with Joel, Toadie, Billy and Karl (thankfully Harold pulled out at the last minute!)

After that, things began to look up for Drew. Whilst out jogging, he spotted Mike and ex-wife Victoria passionately kissing. When confronted, Drew punched Mike, which upset Libby. Mike denied the allegations, but Drew knew what he saw. He was debating telling Libby, as he didn't know how she would react to him saying her boyfriend was cheating on her. After speaking to Lou about it, he decided to tell Libby what he had seen. Of course, Libby's reaction was instant dismissal and denial. She was in love with Mike, he was in love with her. As predicted, she accused Drew of interfering. After falling out with Libby over Mike, he felt there was nothing keeping him in Erinsborough, so he decided to leave - however, as he was about to, Libby found out that Drew was telling the truth about Mike, and she persuaded Drew to stay.

Not long after, Drew took Libby to the Oakey rodeo, and whilst he danced with Libby at the local hall, various people all commented on what a lovely couple they made. As they headed back to Erinsborough, they realised, whilst more than halfway home, that Drew's brother Dougal was hiding in the car so he could go back to the city with them. It began to get dark, so they decided to stop off for the night at a cabin. The room arrangements meant Libby and Drew would have to share a bed ' Drew opted for the chair instead, as he couldn't lie in bed with Libby.

When he got back, he began seeing Shannon Jones for a short while after her house burnt down, but he couldn't keep up the charade and told Libby he loved her. She rejected him, and, whilst on the rebound, he dated Geri Hallett. Geri was not naïve, however, and soon realised that Drew's real feelings were for Libby. She confronted him over who he really loved out of her and Libby, and when he couldn't give her a straight answer, she realised it wasn't going anywhere and broke off the relationship. Libby, in the meantime, had decided to go to London. Drew told her he didn't want her to go, and kissed her. Then, at long last, Drew and Libby finally got together.

It wasn't long into the relationship that they encountered their first row. Libby wanted to travel, Drew wanted to settle down. Libby, however, got two tickets to go to Africa - Drew then said he didn't want to go, and then Libby's brother Bill offered to take Drew's ticket. Meanwhile, Stephanie Scully moved into Number 26 with the rest of her family, and instantly fell in love with Drew. Whilst at the Millennium party, Drew decided to ask for Karl's permission to ask Libby to marry him. Unfortunately, at that moment, the music went off and everyone heard. An embarrassed Drew proposed to Libby but before she could answer, the Scully house burst into flames. Michelle Scully screamed that Lolly Carpenter was inside, so Drew rushed in to save her. He ran out, his jacket on fire and with the baby in his arms, and was taken to hospital.

At the hospital, Ron and Rose Kirk arrived and assumed Libby has said yes to his proposal ' it was then that she told them that she did't want to marry Drew. After he recovered, Drew found a picture of old flame Darren in Libby's purse and assumed she still held a candle for him. As it turned out, the picture was left in there by accident. They then went on a photoshoot, and had to dress up like a bride and groom - it was here that Drew proposed to Libby again on bended knee and, to his utter delight, she accepted!

Just when things were finally going Drew's way for once, tragedy reared its ugly head. Weeks away from the wedding, Libby and her bridesmaid Steph, who still hadn't revealed her feelings for Drew, were involved in a terrible motorbike accident on their way home from a holiday, when Tess Bell's husband Brendan slammed into their bike whilst driving on the wrong side of the road. Steph broke her leg and suffered minor cuts and bruises, but Libby's life was left hanging in the balance. Once her condition was stabilised and she was allowed visitors, she was told the devastating news that she can never have children, due to her reproductive organs being damaged in the crash. Libby, knowing that Drew wanted a family, decided to break up with him, and called off the wedding. Although she still loved him, she wanted him to have a chance to raise his own family. It was during their break up, that Steph took the opportunity to tell Drew how she truly felt about him. Drew was unaware of her attraction, having always considered her a mate - so thought nothing of it when she suggested they go on a weekend away together. It was here that Steph revealed all to him, but Drew exaplined that he still loved Libby. The trip was cut short as they returned home, Steph devastated by this.

During the break up, Libby began to see Jeff, her editor. However, when they went for a date at the pub, she saw Drew and ended the date abruptly. Drew, thinking he didn't have a snowball's chance in hell with Libby, decided to head back to Oakey. He began tying up his loose ends, and as he was about to sign away his half of Lou's garage, Libby rushed down and stopped him from doing so. The couple got back to together, shattering Steph.

Later, Drew told Libby about Steph's feelings for him, and at first Libby acted coldly towards Steph, but when Steph said she wouldn't do anything to jeopardise their relationship, she realised she was a friend, and not a threat. The wedding arrangements continued as they renewed their engagement. The big day finally arrived, and Drew sang to Libby after the service in the church. They embarked on their honeymoon on the Gold Coast, when Geri suddenly turned up again. She took pictures of them for the magazine, much to Libby's annoyance.

The happy couple moved out of Ramsay Street and into their own flat - everything was fine, except for their neighbour above, Nigel, who played the drums incessantly. When Libby heard that brother Mal was marrying Catherine, she headed over to England with the rest of her family for the ceremony. It was whilst Libby was away that Ronnie Anderson, the housemate of Tess Bell, began to take an unhealthy interest in Drew. Ronnie started coming over to Drew's flat a lot and destroying her car engine to get his attention, and when Libby arrived back, she found Ronnie's lipstick and earring, which she had planted there. When Drew insisted nothing happened between them, Libby did some research to find out Ronnie's history, she found a missing person poster with a picture resembling Ronnie and realised that her husband, who had an uncanny resemblance to Drew, had died. Ronnie's father came and took her away and their life got back to normal.

Due to the fact Libby was unable to have children, Drew bought home a stray dog, Audrey, that he'd found wandering around the garage. They weren't allowed to keep animals in the flat and had to keep him hidden during an unexpected inspection. However, a matter of days later, it was all paled in comparison when Libby found out she was pregnant. Drew, sick with worry, told Karl, and he listed the dangers of her going through the pregnancy - but she insisted it was a miracle, and she was going ahead with it. Drew was worried that Libby was taking on too much, and whilst on her way to interview a reclusive opera singer Dame Woolstead, Libby had pains and feared she was losing her baby.

Happily, she was thankfully given the all clear, and Karl and Susan started fussing over the couple. Eventually they snapped and told them to back off. When nationwide newspaper The Chronicle failed to give her a job because she was pregnant, she tried to sue them. Drew was furious with Libby for giving herself more work during her difficult pregnancy. He began to get more and more wound up, eventually going upstairs and threatening noisy neighbour Nigel.

The stress continued as Libby and Drew's parents continued to smother them with advice. They both agreed to tell their parents to back off. Meanwhile, Maggie Hancock helped with their case against The Chronicle, but warned them that it wasn't going to be easy. After knocking back an original settlement, a witness came forward with evidence that Libby was unfairly dismissed. Libby and Drew agreed that it would be best to take the paper's second settlement and with this money Libby decided she was going to start her own magazine. Drew was annoyed, he wanted to use that money for a deposit on a house, but he realised that Libby was just following her dream.

Not long after, Drew's little brother Dougal turned up at the garage, having run away from home. After a few days looking after him, Drew realised how stressful parenting really was, and Dougal was sent back home to Oakey. Soon after, another old face from Oakey arrived - Drew's old mate, Scotty Gibson. When Scotty asked for the money to save his farm, Drew felt obligated to give it, but wouldn't explain to Libby why. However, Drew later revealed that he'd accidentally shot Scotty in the leg as a child, resulting in Scotty's limp. After lending the money, Drew had great difficulty getting it back.

Drew and Libby, who was now heavily pregnant, headed to Oakey for the annual rodeo. Drew was almost blackmailed by Scotty into taking a fall so that he could get his money back, but Drew decided to do the honest thing and run the risk of never seeing his money again. During the rodeo, Libby had wandered off and got locked in a stable where the panic had sent her into labour. When she was eventually found, she was airlifted to Erinsborough, but there wasn't time to give her a Caeserean, so she had to give birth naturally, putting her life in grave danger. Drew was beside himself with worry, but was thrilled when he heard she had given birth and mother and baby were fine. Suddenly, Libby flatlined and almost died, but she was resuscitated and survived the ordeal.

Libby and Drew had just got the baby home, Stuart Parker, the brother of another of Drew's Oakey mates, arrived on their doorstep. They allowed him to stay on the sofa for a while. They had a few problems deciding on a name for the baby, but after much advice from Susan and Karl, they eventually settled on Ben Kennedy Kirk. They were forced to ask Stuart to leave, as things got a bit fraught in the flat. Also struggling for money, Drew decided to take on a second job as a bouncer. Becoming more and more stressed, Drew ended up throwing one of the punters across the room after he started hassling him. When Libby found out, she visited the club and got Drew off the hook.

A new neighbour, Terri Hall, moved into the flat about Drew's. At first, Libby was suspicious of this girl, as was Drew, who thought she was working as a prostitute. One night, after seeing some lights on in the garage, Stuart and Drew went in to find the place being burgled. During the ensuing chaos, Drew was assaulted by a policewoman - Terri. She explained that she'd been undercover recently - hence her keeping long hours and dressing glamorously.

Drew and Libby had Ben christened by a good friend of Harold, Rev. Rosie Hoyland. They decided at the last minute to add the middle name, Ian, after one of Libby's editors who had recently died. Then, when Lou agreed to stay with Harold after their accidents, he offered to rent Number 22 to Libby and Drew, who were looking for somewhere bigger to live. Soon after, Drew had a falling out with Stuart, when he sided with Flick over the whole Stephanie and Marc affair. When Stuart decided to go to Sydney to find Flick, Drew told him he wouldn't have a job when he returned. They later made up, however. When Susan had an accident and suffered from amnesia, Drew proved to be a great husband and son-in-law. He helped Libby to track down Craig Benson, Susan's old boyfriend, and he also proved a good friend to Susan, filling her in on who everyone was and how she knew them.

Drew's father, Ron, asked Libby and Drew to Oakey for the weekend. Drew drove up in the car and Libby flew up a few days later, after Ben had been cleared of an ear infection. When he arrived, Ron asked him to move to Oakey and manage the stud he was planning to open. Drew and Libby discussed the idea, changing their mind every few hours. After Ron suffered an angina attack, and Dougal told Drew how great it would be if he moved there, Drew and Libby agreed to move to Oakey. The next day, after getting up early, Drew and Libby went for a ride. Drew's horse suddenly threw him to the ground where he screamed in pain. Libby called an ambulance and Drew was taken to the hospital in Oakey. On the way, he asked Libby to tell Ben he loved him. As soon as Susan and Karl heard, they flew down, but it was too late. Karl arrived to be told by the surgeon that they had lost Drew and Libby collapsed in tears.

Drew was buried in Oakey a few days later.

Trivia Notes
• Dan Paris was voted Sexiest Man on Television by readers of Inside Soap magazine in 1999
• In 2005, Dan Paris made a brief return to Neighbours as a pregnant Steph was plagued by dreams of the man she once loved. The dreams turned out to be a warning that Steph's cancer had returned
• Click here to read our interview with Dan Paris

Tenure
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