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Character Profiles > Mike Young Guy Pearce

Michael 'Mike' James Young 1986-1989, 2022, 2023, 2024
Lived: 22, 24, 28 Ramsay Street
Born: 1968
Parents: David and Barbara Young
Marital Status: Rose (divorced)
Children: Sam
Family Tree: Young
Occupation: Student, Teacher at Erinsborough High School

Mike Young and his mother Barbara lived in constant fear of being beaten by Mike's violent father David throughout Mike's childhood. This led to Mike growing into a quiet young man who never socialised much until he began high school where he became good friends with Scott Robinson and Charlene Mitchell. It was his friendship with Scott that brought Mike to Ramsay Street where Scott's next-door neighbour, Daphne Lawrence befriended him and took him under her wing, giving him a part-time job at her coffee shop. Mike was able to talk to Daphne and her friend Clive Gibbons about his problems and when Daphne realised that Mike was being abused by his father, she tried to help Mike and his mother to get away from David. But Barbara was so fearful of her violent husband that she didn't have the courage to make the break. Mike, on the other hand, was determined not to live a life of violence and fear anymore and when Clive and Daphne offered to become Mike's legal guardians, he accepted and moved in with them at 22 Ramsay Street, then later lived with Daphne and her new husband Des Clarke across the street at number 28.

Romance blossomed for Mike when he fell for Scott's cousin Nikki Dennison and the two dated before Nikki left Erinsborough. True love arrived on Mike's doorstep, however, when Jane Harris moved in with her grandmother, Mrs. Mangel, at number 32. Jane instantly fell for Mike but he was slow to realise his feelings due to Jane's plain image and demure nature. But after Daphne and Scott's gran, Helen Daniels, gave Jane a makeover for the school dance, Mike saw a different side to Jane and they began seeing each other. Mrs. Mangel was none too pleased with her granddaughter's choice of boyfriend and the final straw came when she began to receive letters about Mike's 'reputation' with other girls at school. Mrs. Mangel was shocked to think Mike might be leading Jane astray and prevented the two from seeing eachother. Daphne came to the rescue when she caught school bitch Sue Parker posting one of the malicious letters through Mrs. Mangel's door. Sue admitted to Mrs. Mangel that she had been lying about Mike in the letters because she was jealous of Jane's relationship with him and Mrs. Mangel had no choice but to let Mike and Jane continue with their relationship.

More obstacles got in their way when Nikki Dennison returned to Ramsay Street. Mike comforted Nikki as she struggled to come to terms with the fact that her mother, Laura, had been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, leading Jane to become jealous of their closeness. Nikki did her best to split the pair up and win Mike back but was unsuccessful and went to America to take care of her mother.

Mike, too, showed a jealous side to his nature when Shane Ramsay became attracted to Jane having been lost in the bush with her. And although Jane too recognised a strong bond between her and Shane after their experience, she convinced Mike that he was the only guy for her and that Shane would never be anything other than a friend. After they completed their HSC, Jane embarked on an international modelling career while Mike decided he wanted to become a teacher and started at university. The new and separate lives the two began to lead resulted in them splitting up but it was an amicable agreement and they remained close friends.

Tragedy struck for Mike when Daphne was killed in a car crash. Mike's grief was made worse by the guilt he felt at not having been around in the final weeks of Daphne's life, as he had been away and unable to be contacted. Mike was so overwrought that he began to track down the two thugs who had crashed into Daphne's car and when he finally caught up with them, he attacked them, subsequently facing assault charges. Jane was there to comfort Mike at such an emotional time but although Mike was still attracted to Jane, nothing developed between them.

Having finished at uni, Mike landed a job teaching Maths at his old school, Erinsborough High where one of his students, a 16 year-old girl called Jessie Ross, admitted to Mike that she, like Mike in his day, was the victim of an abusive father. Mike helped Jessie come to terms with the trauma of having a violent father, even confronting Douglas Ross himself on one occasion. Mike and Jessie became very close and their emotions peaked with a kiss one afternoon when Mike was tutoring Jessie after school. The school principal, Mr. Muir, caught the pair and angrily suspended Mike. Needing to get away from Erinsborough for a while, Mike rode off on his motorbike and didn't return for a couple of months.

On his eventual return to Ramsay Street, Mike was faced with a number of changes that had occurred during his absence. Des and Jane had forged a strong friendship since he had seen them last and Bronwyn Davies, who he had briefly dated, was now staying at No. 28 with her new lover, Henry Ramsay. Mike became irritable and moody as he settled back in but the real reason for his mood swings were made clear when Jenny Owens came to visit him. It turned out that Mike and Jenny had become quite close in the time Mike was away from Erinsborough but their happiness was cut short when Jenny and Mike were riding on his motorbike and had an accident. Jenny fell from the back of the bike and was left with severe spinal injuries leaving her paralysed from the waist down and confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life. Mike blamed himself for what had happened to Jenny and could never bring himself to accept it was just an accident. Jenny finally convinced him it was not his fault before she left for treatment at a rehab clinic.

Meanwhile, Des and Jane's friendship had become more serious and they started seeing each other, much to the surprise of the neighbours. Generally, however, most of the local residents were pleased to see the widowed Des finally find some happiness - despite the slight age difference. Mike, on the other hand, was completely disgusted that Des, who he treated like a father figure, and Jane, his childhood sweetheart, would do such a thing to him. He refused to give them his blessing and after a major bust-up with Des, left Erinsborough. He returned to quite a significant occasion in the street - an engagement party at the Robinson house for Des and Jane. Mike interrupted the party by voicing his concerns about the proposed union and relations between him and Des were further strained. It took quite a while before Mike finally accepted that Jane and Des were in love and he eventually made his peace with the two, after a long talk with Jane.

With Des and Jane engaged, Mike began to feel more and more as though there wasn't much left for him in Erinsborough. Daphne was dead, Des and Jane were getting on with their lives and even Scott and Charlene had moved away. And when Mike received word that his mother had been in a plane crash in Western Australia - his father had since died in the intervening years - Mike decided to join her and help her to recover, leaving Ramsay Street behind once and for all.

Mike remained in teaching and went on to marry a woman named Rose, and together they had a daughter, Sam. Following the breakdown of the marriage, Mike made a surprise return to Erinsborough in 2022. As well as reuniting with Sam, who’d been working at Lassiters hotel, he was also surprised to find a few other old friends in town - including Jane, who’d been back living in Erinsborough for a couple of years. Mike and Jane quickly found themselves enjoying each other’s company, and with Jane struggling to find direction in life after splitting up with Clive (who'd also returned to Erinsborough after years away) and Mike trying to move on from his failed marriage, they both admitted that they’d like to give their relationship another try. Things moved quickly for them, and Mike decided to stick around, making Shane Ramsay an offer for 24 Ramsay Street.

Mike, Jane and Sam made no. 24 their home and Mike found work at Erinsborough High once more, with Jane becoming school principal. After a couple of years, the couple decided to go on the holiday of a lifetime to the UK, where Mike planned to propose. Unfortunately, the trip started to bring back bad memories for Jane, as she’d lived there with her philandering husband, Vic. As Jane’s mood changed, Mike began to worry that she didn’t want to marry again, and he threw the ring in the lake at the hotel, only for Jane to admit that her bad mood was because she’d been informed that she’d have to let Mike go from his job at the school. Jane then explained that the situation had now gotten worse, as the school board was considering closing down Erinsborough High entirely. Realising his earlier mistake, Mike ran back to the lake and fished out the ring, before making his big proposal, which Jane accepted. Though delighted to be engaged, Jane explained that she really needed to get back home to try and work out how to save the school, insisting that Mike stay behind in order follow his dream of recreating his grandfather’s motorbike journey around Scotland.

Mike continued to keep in regular contact with Jane and Sam, and after a few weeks, he told them that he'd been offered a job, running motorbikes tours across the UK for a few months. He said that he'd turned it down, but then Jane explained that the school was now definitely being closed down, so they'd both be unemployed. She told Mike to take the job, suggesting that she and Sam could fly out to Scotland and join him for Christmas.

As the end of the year approached, following huge protests, Terese Willis was reconsidering her plans to build a retirement home on the site of Erinsborough High. She suggested to Jane that they could divide the land between a downsized school and retirement home, but with a lot of planning to do, and proposals to put to the council and Board of Education before Christmas, Jane told Mike that she could no longer join him in the UK. Mike was clearly disappointed, having hoped that they could start planning their wedding during Jane's visit, but it was agreed that Sam would still fly over to the UK, travelling with neighbour Vera Punt who was planning her own trip to Europe.

In the months that followed, Jane's life became busier than ever as the school reopened, and she had daughter Nicolette, as well as her young daughter, Isla, and Isla's two dads, David and Aaron, living with her. When David died suddenly, it threatened to tear the family apart, as Aaron struggled to process his grief and Jane was left caught between him and Nicolette as they tried to work out what was best for little Isla. As Mike and Jane caught up on a video call, she struggled to hide her disappointment when he mentioned that his boss at the touring company, Angela, had suggested that they could take the tours out into mainland Europe. Seeing Mike's excitement about the idea, Jane told him that she'd be happy for him to do it, and that she could wait a few more months for him to return to Australia.

Jane's life was then turned upside-down when her ex-husband, and father of Byron and Nicolette, Vic arrived in Erinsborough. He explained that he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer and only had around six months to live, and he wanted to make up for the mistakes of the past. Though Byron and Jane were reluctant to trust him, with Nicolette the only one willing to give him any time, they all eventually managed to get along and made plans for Vic to invest his savings into Leo Tanaka's vineyard, wanting the business to be his legacy for his children. Vic also made it clear how guilty he felt about the way he'd treated Jane over the years, wishing that things could have been different and even spontaneously kissing her. Vic also made it known that he didn't understand how Mike could stay away from Jane for so long, convinced that the relationship wasn't that strong.

When Vic then found out that his cancer was in remission, thanks to an immunotherapy trial he'd been involved with back in London, he realised that he was going to need his savings and he disappeared from town, leaving letters for Byron, Nicolette and Jane. Though unsurprised by Vic's behaviour, the experience had made Jane realise that she needed to accept that perhaps there was a reason that Mike was staying away, but she was afraid to ask. As she learnt that friends Terese and Susan also shared Vic's doubts about Mike's prolonged absence, Jane came to the realisation that she had to end the relationship. As Mike and Jane then chatted on a video call, they were both in for a surprise when they simultaneously declared that they wanted to break up. Jane found out that Mike had been developing an attraction to his boss, Angela, and although nothing had happened between them, he wanted to pursue things with her, as well as continuing in his job in Europe. Jane told him about everything that had happened with Vic and they agreed that they'd had a lovely couple of years together, which had been exactly what they each needed at the time, but now they had to move on from each other.

Mike was relieved to learn that Jane was also very happy for Sam to continue living with her, having come to view her as another daughter. Mike then made a video call with Sam, who was happy to learn that she could stay with Jane, but was also interested to hear more about Angela, immediately asking her dad if he was going to marry her.

Trivia Notes
• Mike turned 21 on June 14th 1989

Tenure
171-1108, 8901-8903, 8904-8912, 8927, 8953, 9001, 9076