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Character Profiles > Rob Lewis Ernie Bourne

Robert 'Rob' Lewis 1987-1989
Lived: 22 Ramsay Street
Marital Status: Brenda (deceased), Gloria Gardner (1988-1989)
Children: Gail (adoptive)
Family Tree: Lewis
Occupation: Mechanic
Died: 1989

Car mechanic Rob Lewis was a decent, ordinary bloke, with a fondness for beer and betting. A mechanical genius, Rob worked on the professional motor-racing circuit in his youth and was able to quickly strip, repair and rebuild any car. He and his wife Brenda were unable to conceive so they opted to adopt, and were blessed with a little girl, Gail. The family was happy and complete until tragedy struck when Brenda died suddenly. Her death led to an increase in Rob's drinking, as he tried to numb the pain of losing his beloved Brenda.

Rob moved to Erinsborough in 1987 to open his own garage, and rented No. 22 Ramsay Street after Clive Gibbons' departure. Rob lived there with Gail for a time until Gail married Paul Robinson and Rob moved out to smaller accommodation nearby.

Rob's business got off to a rocky start, and he was forced to sell a stake in the business to Harold Bishop. Fuddy duddy Harold was Rob's total opposite, and the two men were constantly at loggerheads. The tension between the two intensified when Rob tried to woo Madge Ramsay, Harold's high school sweetheart. The partnership faced its biggest crisis, however, when Harold accused Rob of stealing money from the garage. Rob was forced to admit he had taken money to cover debts he had incurred betting on the horses, and this outraged Harold so much that he decided to sell his half of the business. Luckily for Rob, Jim Robinson - father of Paul - stepped in and bought Harold's half of the business, thus saving it from going under.

Rob's fondness for the grog led to embarrassment for Gail when Paul's snobby aunt Hilary came to stay with them for the wedding of Paul's brother, Scott and Charlene Mitchell, who Rob had taken on as an apprentice mechanic at the garage. A dinner party on the eve of the wedding ended in Rob showing up late and drunk, and flirting with Hilary. The following day, Rob failed to show up for Charlene and Scott's wedding, much to the annoyance of Gail, but he redeemed himself somewhat by giving Charlene indenture papers for a four-year apprenticeship at the garage as a wedding present.

Rob's relationship with Gail faced its biggest crisis when Gail decided to search for her natural parents. It transpired that Gail's real mother had died, but her father, Ian Chadwick, was alive and well, and they met. Rob was so upset at the idea that he confronted Ian and warned him to stay away from Gail, but his plan backfired when Gail caught wind of the incident and refused to speak to Rob until he apologised to Ian. But the stubborn Rob instead proceeded to embark in a petty competition with Ian to outdo him with gifts for Gail and Paul's wedding anniversary, culminating in Rob 'accidentally' breaking Ian's gift to the couple. Rob finally came to his senses after Gail assured him that no matter what, he was always going to be her true father, and he apologised to Ian and gave him and Gail his blessing to keep in contact.

Rob finally found true love when he met wacky widow Gloria Gardner. Gail was instantly unimpressed with her father's choice of woman, due to Gloria's garish dress sense and loud mouth. And when Rob and Gloria announced their engagement, both Gail and Gloria's son Dean objected. But they soon realised that Rob and Gloria were devoted to each other and were meant to be together. The couple went away after their marriage, and upon returning to Erinsborough, Gloria landed a job as barmaid at Rob's local, The Waterhole.

When Paul discovered that Rob was receiving stolen parts at the garage, in order to save money, he confronted Rob at the Robinson house one evening with Jim. A furious Rob engaged in a vicious argument with Paul, resulting in Rob storming off in his car in the midst of a heavy rainstorm. Rob was in such a rage that his temper, along with the heavy rainfall, resulted in him crashing his car and he was rushed to hospital with serious injuries. Gail and Gloria kept a bedside vigil, and were somewhat relieved when Rob came round and was able to speak to them. However, Rob's recovery was short lived, and after telling his "two girls" to look after each other, he suffered a cardiac arrest and died.

Tenure
445-1050