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Character Profiles > Kerry Mangel Claudine Henningsen

Kerry Breanna Mangel 2006-2007
Lived: 24 Ramsay Street
Born: 2006
Parents: Sky Mangel and Dylan Timmins
Siblings: "Sky's Second Child"
Family Tree: Mangel and Timmins

Born on 31st October 2006, Kerry Mangel had been through her fair share of dramas before she even came into the world. Her mother, Sky, had learnt of her pregnancy after cheating on her boyfriend, Dylan Timmins, with her art lecturer, JP Valasco, then finding comfort in a one-night-stand with Dylan’s younger brother, Stingray. Unsure of who the father was, Sky realised that it she was too far along with the pregnancy for it to be Stingray’s, and after learning from JP that he was infertile, she realised that Dylan was the father. But, since he was refusing to have anything to do with her, she considered having an abortion, only changing her mind at the last moment, thanks to reading the diary of her late mother and the support of her granddad, Harold Bishop’s best friend, Lou Carpenter and his partner, Mishka Schneiderova.

Having decided to continue with the pregnancy, Sky finally broke the news to Dylan and the pair eventually got back together, but there was more surprising news to come. During a spell in hospital, Dr Karl Kennedy made a flippant remark about the baby being quite a lot smaller than he would have expected for its age. Sky quickly jumped to the conclusion that Stingray had to be the father, but kept this information to herself, fearful of the number of lives it could ruin. Following another examination, Karl informed Sky that there was a chance that her baby could be born with abnormalities and another test – which carried the risk of Sky miscarrying – could be done. Sky and Dylan decided to go through with the test and were relieved when the results came back negative. Hopeful that he, Sky and the baby could make a go of things as a family, Dylan then proposed, and Sky barely had a chance to speak before he assumed that she had accepted.

After many weeks of struggling with her secret and planning her wedding, Sky started to develop problems with food and would avoid eating at any opportunity she could. After collapsing during a wedding dress fitting, Sky was informed by Karl, who, along with his partner, Susan, knew Sky’s secret, that she was seriously endangering her baby’s life. Sky finally broke the news to Dylan that he wasn’t the father and he angrily walked out, before later returning and giving her an ultimatum – him or the baby. Faced with putting her child up for adoption, Sky was forced to give up Dylan, but he decided to give her another chance, as long as there were no more secrets between the pair. Sky realised that she couldn’t go on lying to him, and broke the news that Stingray was the baby’s father. Dylan then broke the news to his brother, before telling him that he no longer wanted anything to do with him. Sky, meanwhile, was forced to stay in hospital, where she befriended new roommate Teresa Cammeniti.

Teresa quickly latched on to Sky, explaining that her baby, Bonnie, had to stay at home with its father, as she had a weak immune system, but she was looking forward to going home and seeing them again. What Sky didn’t realise was that Teresa was lying and that she had given up her own baby, so that her cousin Carmella could sell it, only for the baby to later die. Carmella had since become a nun in the hope of repairing some of the damage she had caused, though, when she’d told her Reverend Mother about her secret, she’d been asked to leave the convent. Carmella then found work as a hospital orderly, and was stunned to find Teresa and Sky sharing a room. Carmella was left to tell Sky the truth, and, once confronted, Teresa admitted that she had made it all up because she was lonely. But, as Sky slept, Teresa started to stroke her roommate’s tummy, telling the baby that she was going to look after her.

The following week, Sky became increasingly concerned about Stingray, after learning that he had an alcohol problem that was getting out of control. However, at Lassiter’s hotel, where Stingray had been staying after being thrown out by his family Sky was given the wrong room number and ended up finding Dylan, half-dressed, with her best friend, Elle Robinson. The shock sent Sky into premature labour and Teresa, who had her friend out of the hospital, found her in the park and raised the alarm. Back at the hospital, Teresa’s emotions got out of hand and she started screaming that Sky couldn’t take care of her own baby, at which point she was taken away for psychiatric assessment. Stingray, meanwhile, got a phone message from Sky and, in his drunken state, tried to get into the hospital to see her, only to be thrown out by security guards. As Sky’s labour continued, Teresa managed to sneak out of the hospital and, after stealing Carmella’s orderly uniform, back onto Sky’s ward. Desperate to create a distraction, so that she could get her hands on ‘her baby’, she started a fire, which quickly got out of control. As the hospital was evacuated, Sky finally gave birth to a little girl but, due to the danger, both mother and baby had to be moved urgently. Several hours later, and in another wing of the hospital, Sky and Kerry had both been given a clean bill of health, but their reunion was not to be, when Sky went into her new room and found the crib empty.

A police investigation began, with both Teresa and Stingray as the prime suspects. However, when Teresa was found pushing an empty pram around Erinsborough, and Stingray was found reeking of smoke and passed out, but with no baby, the investigation was back to square one, with the only clue being Kerry’s baby bracelet, found in Stingray’s pocket. It was later revealed that Dylan had found baby Kerry in the arms of his unconscious brother and had immediately felt a connection with her. Believing that she was his daughter, he took her away to a hotel room, lying to Elle that he was going to a hoteliers conference. When Elle learnt that Dylan hadn't shown up for the conference, she tracked him down and immediately realised what he'd done. Desperate to avoid her boyfriend being sent back to prison, Elle waited for him to load Kerry into his car, then jumped into the driver's seat and took off, before quietly placing Kerry on the doorstep of number 24, where she was reunited with her relieved family. Following DNA tests, it was then revealed that Dylan was Kerry’s real dad and Sky agreed to him being part of the child’s life, but soon realised that she no longer had any romantic feelings for him.

Meanwhile, as she coped with being a single mum, Sky found herself drawn towards Stingray once more and, before long, they were dating. Dylan came to accept this, but the happy little family unit was left reeling when Kerry, who had been unwell for a few days, was taken to hospital and diagnosed with leukaemia. The Ramsay Street residents quickly rallied, all taking tests to see who could donate bone marrow, with Stingray and Dylan being the only matches. Dylan was devastated when he was ruled out too, with the tests showing abnormalities thanks to his exposure to the toxic waste dumped in the wetlands two years earlier. So Stingray went ahead with the operation instead and, having saved little Kerry’s life, tragically passed away days later from an aneurysm that had gone undetected. Stingray’s sudden passing destroyed Dylan, who started lashing out at everyone around him, eventually realising that he had to get away and get his head together. So, leaving a photo for her to remember him, Dylan said goodbye to his little girl and headed up north with his dad.

Stingray’s death led to Sky seeking help from Terrence Chesterton, a man who claimed to able to contact spirits but who turned out to be a fraud. Upon finding out that she’d been conned, Sky lashed out at Terrence, who was later found dead. Believing herself to be responsible, Sky went to prison, where cellmate Mary Casey took her under her wing and encouraged her to apply to have Kerry come and stay with her. This almost ended in tragedy, with Sky not realising that Mary had mental problems and had only weeks earlier held Pepper Steiger hostage in the hope that she could provide her with a grandchild. Luckily, however, Mary had come to her senses and, as the prison went into lockdown due to a riot, she hid Kerry, preventing the other prisoners from getting to her, until Sky could get back inside. And, days later, Sky was released when Terrence’s accomplice, Charlotte Stone, was revealed as his killer.

More romance followed for Sky when she met Caleb Maloney, the man who had received Stingray’s heart. Caleb enjoyed spending time with Kerry too, but the relationship was cut short when the heart started rejecting and he was flown out to California for treatment. But recent events had left Sky thinking about Kerry and how she needed to have her father in her life too and, with little to keep her in Erinsborough, she made the painful decision to leave Harold’s side and move up to Port Douglas so that Kerry could have both of her parents close by.

Tenure
5087-5270

Magic Moments
Episode 5087: Kerry's Birth: Part One
Episode 5088: Kerry's Birth: Part Two