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Character Profiles > Mike Young Guy Pearce

Michael 'Mike' James Young 1986-1989, 2022
Lived: 22, 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.

Trivia Notes
• Mike turned 21 on June 14th 1989

Tenure
171-1108