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Neighbourhood > Character Profiles > Terry Robinson Maxine Klibingaitis

Terry Inglis Robinson 1985
Lived: 28, 30 Ramsay Street
Marital Status: Gordon Miller (divorced), Paul Robinson (1985-1986; divorced)
Occupation: Plumber's Assistant

When Maria Ramsay was left in charge of hiring 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 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 Anti-Discrimination 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 revealed she had a criminal past and so Terry swore Shane to secrecy.

After splitting with Shane, Terry went on a date with Shane's mate and next door neighbour on Ramsay Street, Paul Robinson. There was shock all round when by the end of the date, 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 were also a cause for concern but he only had eyes for Daphne Lawrence by that stage. After marrying in the Robinson house within a month of their first date, Paul's father, Jim, then rented No. 30 Ramsay Street for the couple as a wedding present.

It wasn't long before Terry's criminal past caught up with her, however. It all started when the mysterious Charles Durham showed up in Erinsborough, in search of a tape Terry had secretly made of him boasting of his crimes. 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 Durham's accomplice Barbara Hill 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 an engagement party for Daphne and Des Clarke 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 Hill.

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. She committed suicide in prison.

Notes: Terry Robinson was the first, and so far only, character in Neighbours to commit suicide.

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 Mark

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