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Character Profiles > Terry Robinson Maxine Klibingaitis

Terry Robinson (née Inglis) 1985
Lived: 28, 30 Ramsay Street
Marital Status: Gordon Miller (??-1985; Divorced), Paul Robinson (1985-1986; Divorced)
Family Tree: Robinson
Occupation: Plumber's Assistant
Died: 1986

When Maria Ramsay was left in charge of interviewing a plumber's assistant for her husband, Max, there were surprises all round when a woman showed up to apply for the job. Terry Inglis was keen to show she could follow in her father's footsteps, and do just as good a job as a plumber as any man could, and Maria threw her support behind her and gave her the job. Max assumed Maria had hired a man, however, when he heard his new assistant was called 'Terry' and the chauvinistic, brash Max was stunned by his wife's choice of a 'Sheila' for the position. Terry insisted she was up for the job, having done three years at Technical College, but Max wouldn't hear of the idea and told her he wouldn't be able to hire her. However, when Terry threatened Max with the Equal Opportunities Board, he was forced into giving her a chance and agreed to a trial run, convinced that Terry would fall flat on her face and prove she wasn't up to scratch.

Max deliberately set out to make the work as tough as possible for Terry by giving her the hardest jobs but Terry failed to be diminished and instead, proved to be an excellent plumber. Max was eventually forced to swallow his pride and concede defeat, admitting that Terry was, effectively, the best man for the job. Not long after starting as Max's assistant, Terry found herself falling for his eldest son, Shane. Terry and Shane started dating, and he soon learnt that she had a criminal past, and so Terry swore Shane to secrecy. However, as her employer, Max knew that Terry was married, and was furious that she was getting involved with his son, but he failed to get her to end the relationship. What Max didn't realise was that Terry's husband was Gordon Miller, the bank robber who had caused a car crash which had ended Shane's promising diving career.

Miller had been sentenced, but escaped from the police van on the way to prison, and immediately set out to track down Terry. Determined to protect her, Shane arranged for Terry to leave her flat and move in with Des Clarke and Daphne Lawrence. It wasn't long before Miller spotted his chance, and after watching Terry come and go from Ramsay Street, he ended up following her to Max's bedsit. A tense stand-off ensued, with Max ending up with the gun, contemplating getting his revenge for Miller ruining Shane's career, but in the end, Shane and Terry convinced Max to drop the gun and call the police. Miller was taken away and, a few weeks later, Terry's divorce came through and she was able to move on from him. The ordeal brought her closer to Shane, but one night when he was working, she accepted a last-minute dinner invitation from Paul Robinson instead. They were having a friendly dinner, when they spotted Shane come into the pub with another woman. Terry immediately thought the worst and ended things between them, and although she later learnt that the woman had simply been the niece of Shane's boss, the damage was done.

After splitting with Shane, Terry continued to see Paul, and there was shock all round when, after only a few weeks, Paul had impulsively proposed to Terry and they became engaged. A whirlwind engagement followed, during which Terry put Paul's sister Julie's nose out of joint a few times until finally winning her over by asking her to be bridesmaid. Terry's feelings for Shane never went away, even in the days leading up to her wedding, but he only had eyes for Daphne Lawrence by that stage, and even after splitting from Daphne, was completely oblivious to the fact that Terry was struggling to move on from him. After marrying in the Robinson house within a few months of their first date, Paul's father, Jim, then rented 30 Ramsay Street for the couple as a wedding present.

It wasn't long before Terry's criminal past caught up with her again, however. It all started when the mysterious Charles Durham started calling her, in search of a tape Terry had secretly made of him boasting of his crimes. He and his accomplice Barbara Hill then sent a fake bomb threat to Terry's wedding, and turned up on Ramsay Street, breaking into number 28, where Terry had been living, and trashing it. But Paul's little sister Lucy had accidentally lost the tape and Terry's life was threatened by Charles as a result. It looked as though Charles' threats were serious when Daphne, wearing Terry's coat one afternoon, was almost knocked down by a crazed driver. Fearful of her happiness with Paul being ruined by Durham, Terry took matters into her own hands and went over to Durham's house. A volatile argument erupted which culminated in Terry shooting Charles dead. Terry fled the house in shock, and it was Daphne who found Charles' body when she called over looking for Terry. Daphne ended up getting blood on her skirt, but unsure of what to do, she fled the house in pursuit of Terry. But Barbara had been watching Daphne and reported her to the police.

Back on Ramsay Street, a guilt ridden Terry suggested moving away from Erinsborough to Paul, and was thrilled when he agreed. But events took a dramatic turn when they attended a party, a charity fundraiser arranged by Des's cousin Sarah, at No. 28. Daphne was mysteriously absent, and when she finally did show up, she was keen to get Terry alone and confront her about Charles Durham's dead body. But with a full house and the attention thrust upon Daphne, getting Terry alone proved difficult. Meanwhile, a balloon bursting caused Terry to jump in terror, triggering memories of pulling the trigger on Charles. And the party was thrown into chaos when Lucy noticed the blood on Daphne's skirt, and the police arrived after the tip off from Barbara.

The police interviewed everyone at the party and when Paul's turn came, he told them Charles had been threatening and hassling Terry. Suspicion then turned to Terry when Paul was unable to provide them with an alibi for Terry at the time of the shooting since Terry was down at the shops. While the police interviewed Terry, Paul began to recall Terry's strange behaviour throughout the evening and after picking up her bag, the gun she used to shoot Charles fell out. Suddenly everything fell into place and when Terry arrived back at No. 30 after her session with the police, Paul confronted her about the murder, producing the gun and setting it down on a table. Terry initially tried to dismiss Paul's suspicions that she had shot Durham and attempted to retreat to bed. But as Paul went to report Terry to the police, she grabbed the gun and shot him in the shoulder, before fleeing No. 30, leaving Paul for dead.

Terry was eventually caught by the police and jailed for the murder of Charles Durham. After sending Paul a letter begging him to visit her, an offer he declined, she committed suicide in prison.

Trivia Notes
• Terry was the first new regular character to be added to the Neighbours cast, becoming a regularly credited character from episode 126, replacing Maria Ramsay. She wasn't, however, added to the opening titles
• Terry was the first, and so far only, character in Neighbours' history to commit suicide

Tenure
62-167

Magic Moments
Episode 62: Terry's Arrival
Episode 128: Paul and Terry's Wedding: Part 1
Episode 129: Paul and Terry's Wedding: Part 2
Episode 167: Terry Shoots Paul: Part 1
Episode 168: Terry Shoots Paul: Part 2

Biography by Moe

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