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Character Profiles > Gemma Ramsay Beth Buchanan

Gemma Willis (née Ramsay) 1990-1991, 2019, 2022
Lived: 24 Ramsay Street
Born: 1972
Parents: Tom and Doreen Ramsay
Marital Status: Adam Willis
Siblings: Moira
Children: Roxy
Family Tree: Ramsay
Occupation: Student, Vet

Carefree and independent, Gemma Ramsay was sent to live with various relatives in Brisbane after her mother, Doreen, died when Gemma was a child. Knowing he would be unable to raise a daughter by himself, her father Tom talked things over with young Gemma and they both agreed it was the best decision.

At the age of 17, Gemma came to live with Tom's sister, her Auntie Madge and her husband, Harold Bishop in Ramsay Street (named after her great grandfather) in order to take her HSC at Erinsborough High School. She adapted to the Bishop household quickly as she felt part of the family. Madge gradually became a surrogate mother figure for Gemma, and Harold doted on her as she brought out a sense of fun in him.

Gemma turned plenty of male heads on her arrival in Ramsay Street. But she was slow to commit to a relationship since she had just broke up with her childhood sweetheart, Aidan Devlin, before leaving Brisbane. However, after a brief romance with Ryan McLachlan, Gemma fell in love with Matt Robinson. Madge disapproved of the relationship, fearing it would interfere with Gemma's studies but the couple defied their elders and continued seeing eachother. Eventually, Madge became more lenient with Gemma after remembering her own daughter, Charlene, had been in a similar situation at that age.

But when Matt took Gemma for a ride on his new motorbike, they crashed and Gemma was rushed to hospital where she nearly lost a leg. Tom rushed back to Erinsborough to be with Gemma in her hour of need, and held Matt responsible for ruining his daughter's life. But after Gemma was given the all-clear, Tom got to know Matt better and apologised after realising he was a decent guy.

Soon afterwards, Gemma's ex-boyfriend Aidan arrived in Erinsborough determined to win Gemma back. When Gemma admitted to Matt that she still had feelings for Aidan, Matt packed his bags and left Gemma behind, returning to his native Adelaide. Gemma tried to make a go of things with Aidan, but the chemistry that once existed between them was no longer present, and he returned to Brisbane.

After successfully completing her HSC, Gemma considered a number of careers, including nursing, physiotherapy and science before getting a job at the local zoo and realising that her vocation was with animals. But Gemma nearly lost her job after protesting against the use of animals in circuses.

After a brief romance with Glen Donnelly, Gemma fell in love with student doctor Adam Willis. But their relationship was threatened when Gemma was offered a job at an animal sanctuary in Newcastle, New South Wales. The job was perfect for Gemma and was just what she wanted. But the thought of leaving Adam behind in Erinsborough was the only thing holding her back. However, after Adam arranged to get a transfer to a university in Newcastle as soon as possible, Gemma felt more comfortable about going and she accepted the job. After a tearful goodbye to Madge, Harold and Adam, Gemma left Ramsay Street behind for a new life in Newcastle, where a month later, she was joined by Adam.

Almost thirty years after leaving Ramsay Street, history repeated itself when Gemma sent her own daughter Roxy to live with relatives. Terese Willis, who'd been married to Beth's brother-in-law Brad, had been a bit of a wild child like Roxy, but had turned into a responsible adult with a family and career. Beth hoped that Terese's influence might help calm Roxy down a little, not to mention the fact that it was a long way from the unsavoury characters Roxy had been spending time with in their home town of Darwin. Roxy's past soon followed her to Erinsborough, as she became involved with Vance Abernethy, her older boyfriend from Darwin, and lied to the police when he attacked Paul Robinson with a crowbar, falsely accusing Gary Canning of the crime. When the truth came out and Vance did a runner, Roxy stayed behind, trying to rebuild some of the relationships she'd lost through her behaviour. Gemma eventually came to visit Roxy, explaining that she would have come sooner, but she'd been going through some problems of her own - a separation from Adam. Fortunately, Gemma's visit coincided with Roxy starting to fix her many mistakes and she moved back in with Terese, and Gemma returned to Darwin, happy that her daughter was getting her life back on track.

When Gemma next visited Erinsborough, two and a half years later, Roxy had done a lot of growing up and was preparing to marry Kyle Canning. Gemma was concerned about the upcoming wedding, feeling that Roxy was too young for marriage and was jumping in blind, rushing things because Kyle had been diagnosed with testicular cancer. Roxy was furious with her mum for trying to ruin her happiness, and Kyle's grandmother Sheila made Gemma see that she was risking being cut of her her daughter's life completely, if she didn't allow Roxy to make her own choices. Mother and daughter then patched things up, and the following week, Gemma returned for the wedding, even finding some time for a little flirting with ex-boyfriend Glen, who'd been back in town for a couple of months.

Roxy and Kyle's marriage got off to a difficult start when they decided to start a family, using sperm that Kyle had frozen before his cancer treatment. When Roxy failed to fall pregnant, and Kyle's remaining sperm was destroyed after an accident at the clinic, she wondered if she needed to make a fresh start away from Erinsborough, and when she heard that her parents were getting back together, Roxy went to Darwin to visit them and to potentially look at houses. Kyle, however, wanted to stay on Ramsay Street and buy number 26, and when Roxy returned to town with her mum, the husband and wife had a huge argument, with Kyle ultimately saying that he was glad she wasn't pregnant, as she wasn't the woman he thought she was. As Kyle then stormed off, Roxy started being sick in the bushes, and Gemma soon cottoned on to the fact that her daughter was actually pregnant, something that was confirmed after a second test. This news brought Roxy and Kyle back together, and he agreed to the move to Darwin. Gemma then headed back up north, with her daughter and son-in-law joining her a week later.

Trivia Notes
• Beth Buchanan's sister Simone appeared in Neighbours in various guest stints in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2020 as Samantha Fitzgerald
• Beth was credited as Gemma Ramsay when she was a regular cast member in 1990 and 1991, but as Gemma Willis when the character made guest appearances in 2019 and 2022

Tenure
1228-1484, 8091, 8169, 8756-8763, 8817-8819