[-Kelly-]

Good girl

edited.

Bulimia's prime time treatment 27th July, 2006 Mattie Hunter (Indiana Evans) confronts the serious problem of bulimia in Home and Away. Reality hits hard when Home and Away tries a story about eating disorders, writes Bridget McManus. WHILE Mattie Hunter, the baby-faced bombshell of Summer Bay, stuffed her mouth with cakes and then made herself vomit on an episode of Home and Away last week, a teenage viewer sobbed in her mother's arms and fought an overwhelming urge to binge and purge. The recovering bulimic, whose mother later called the Eating Disorders Foundation of Victoria's helpline, was not alone in her distress that evening. The foundation was inundated with calls from young people who had seen the show. Some had identified with Mattie (played by Indiana Evans) and had made the first step to recovery by seeking help. Others had found the scene so distressing that they needed immediate support to stop themselves from doing the same. The foundation's executive officer Frances Saunders has some concerns about bulimia being dealt with on a teen soap. "Particularly with bulimia, there's a stage where (bingeing and purging) seems like an easy way to resolve issues. So someone who might be at risk might actually try it if you show it," she says. "The nature of eating disorders is such that sufferers are highly competitive. So, for example, if you show someone with anorexia or you talk about what they're eating or their (kilojoule) intake, people at risk will say, 'I'm having more than that, I'd better cut down'. I spoke to one carer who said that (seeing the Home and Away episode) had been quite a step back, that the sufferer was saying they felt that they wanted to go and do the behaviour in response." Those working with young women with eating disorders have mixed feelings about Mattie's depiction. While pleased the issue is getting an airing and sparking discussion amongst an at-risk group (the show's viewers are predominantly young women), they worry the program will tie up the storyline in too simplistic a manner. No one from Channel Seven or Home and Away would speak to Green Guide about what, if any, advice was taken in writing the bulimia storyline or how long it would continue. Sanders says the majority of the calls her helpline received as a result of the program, which screens weeknights at 7pm, were from people in their late teens to mid-20s. (The number of calls the helpline received as a direct result of the show was not recorded, Sanders says. But there has been a big leap since Mattie started suffering bulimia.) The experts agree that presenting a case of bulimia in a shock-tactic fashion is more likely to do harm than good. "It's a bit like putting alcohol in front of someone with a drinking problem," says Claire Vickery, chief executive of the Butterfly Foundation, an independent eating disorder advocacy group that funds treatment programs. "It's a really negative way of communicating the message." Michael Carr-Gregg, founding director of the National Coalition Against Bullying, adviser on adolescent issues to Neighbours, and "agony uncle" for Girlfriend magazine, says: "With any depiction of eating disorders, we need to be extremely careful not to normalise, sanitise or glamorise the issue. It would be wonderful if we could use television not to exploit anxieties of adolescents, but to reassure them that there is hope. I was very concerned about Four Corners, which recently showed a documentary about a young boy in Ultimo who killed himself in year 12. There is overwhelming evidence that graphically depicting such actions leads to suicide attempts, or even suicide." According to the Eating Disorders Foundation, about 11 per cent of the Australian teenage population suffers from eating disorders. Most are female, although the illness is prevalent in boys. It is the most fatal of psychiatric illnesses, and about 5 per cent of sufferers will die. For those who seek help, the recovery rate is about 85 per cent. Rick Kausman, Australian Medical Association spokesman on healthy eating, dieting and weight issues, addressed a group of year 9 and 10 students from 16 schools in Geelong last week. The bulimia story in Home and Away was raised by students. "The whole upside to this is, we've got to get it out to the community that this is a health issue that's not unusual, it's not isolated," Kausman says. "It's increasingly common and the more we can make it OK to talk about it, the more of a chance we're going to be able to have to help people make change." Sanders agrees that exposure of the disorder will benefit some. "I think it's good that (Home and Away) is actually addressing and raising the issue, because although it may distress people, you've also got those people who think, 'I've got that, maybe I should go and get some help'. That's why the resolution of (Mattie's problem) is going to be so important." It is unreasonable to expect the Mattie Hunter bulimia plotline to stretch over eight to 10 years (the usual length of time it takes sufferers to confront their problem and seek help), but if the depiction of the issue is to be as realistic as it has so far, Mattie will have food consequences for the rest of her fictitious life. Rather than mark her as a former bulimic, Sanders says such a character development would make Mattie normal. "(Overcoming bulimia) is not about weight or food, it's about feeling better about yourself," she says. "I think we all have a part of ourselves that worries about our own body image."

edited again - I don't bump threads

Kate drops footy player August 04, 2006 12:00 Article from: The Daily Telegraph SHATTERED Rugby League player Chris Walker is nursing a broken heart after his soap-star girlfriend Kate Ritchie called off their five-year romance this week. In a dramatic sequence of events that would rival a Home and Away plot line, a devastated Walker this week split from the Melbourne Storm and fled to his family home in Queensland to seek comfort and guidance from his parents in the wake of the break-up. While the TV starlet was unavailable for comment yesterday, sources from the Seven network confirmed the relationship has been heavily strained since Walker was removed by police from a Melbourne hotel where Ritchie was staying two weeks ago. "I knew things were very rocky, so I was surprised to hear Chris saying this week that he and Kate were still in love and very much together,'' a Seven insider said yesterday. "It's no surprise that they've broken up.'' Summer Bay veteran Ritchie - whose shiny profile was elevated with a silver Logie win earlier this year - is understood to have been fed up with Walker persistently living up to his reputation as the bad boy of league. Despite its longevity, their union has been fraught with difficulty - with the couple enduring several public break-ups over the years. Currently left stranded without the love of his life or a football career, Walker is expected to spend the next few weeks recuperating in Queensland with his parents. Meanwhile, consummate showbiz professional Ritchie will be forced to plaster on a smile when she takes to the stage in the It Takes Two finale on Sunday night

edited again.

HELLO

Before he was famous

Paul O'Brien on Meet My Folks







Credit to dnp52td @ backtothebay

[Just Peachy.]

Oh my God

Thank you Kelly I had no idea Paul was in that

[-Kelly-]

No problem Bella I heard he's a ladies man

[Just Peachy.]

Originally Posted by -Kelly- No problem Bella I heard he's a ladies man

That'd be right. He is still hot

Though its a pity he couldn't get out of work to take Martha to the cabin in tonight's ep.

[*Erin*]

It is my imagination or does H& A no longer have opening credits. Or am i just missing them??? I think I'm starting to lose it!!

[Just Peachy.]

Originally Posted by *Erin* It is my imagination or does H& A no longer have opening credits. Or am i just missing them??? I think I'm starting to lose it!!

No, no you're not losing it. I think to get an extra few minutes Home and Away have done away with the opening credits. I tend to find that they show the credits on a Friday

[-Kelly-]

^ I find it a pain in the butt the viewers are thinking, what the hell? LOL

[Just Peachy.]

Originally Posted by -Kelly- ^ I find it a pain in the butt the viewers are thinking, what the hell? LOL

I don't really mind as the credits can get annoying.

[-Kelly-]

No credits tonight

Someone can't make up their minds

They will find Tasha and Martha next week

[Just Peachy.]

I'm over the credits now ... no point. Though saying that I don't get to see a shirtless Jack

[-Kelly-]

Shirtless, that's true

[*Erin*]

Oohhhh Ok, thanks for that everyone. Glad I'm not losing it. I don't miss the opening credits (a show thats on 5 nights a week most ppl would know who is who) but i haven't seen them since they've been updated so i'm eager to see, I guess i just have to keep a look out.

[Just Peachy.]

Originally Posted by *Erin* Oohhhh Ok, thanks for that everyone. Glad I'm not losing it. I don't miss the opening credits (a show thats on 5 nights a week most ppl would know who is who) but i haven't seen them since they've been updated so i'm eager to see, I guess i just have to keep a look out.

They've added Belle to the credits and Rachel's brother and I think Drew is now in the opening credits.

ETA: Found some more info ...

Miss the Opening Titles? 22 July 2006 Many Australian viewers have recently been wondering what has happened to the show's opening titles and world famous theme tune. Recently, the show has started going straight from the recap to the day's episode, removing the opening titles usually sandwiched in between. Well, Australia's 'The Courier-Mail' reports that this won't be forever. They report that a Seven spokesperson has confirmed that the theme and titles will be brought back "once they get through this run of bad luck on Summer Bay". Apparently, with so much happening at the moment, they need every second of airtime possible, and cutting the opening titles was the easiest way to achive this. The article also reports that new opening titles are being filmed in about a fortnight. Could this see the 'picture frame' theme replaced by brand new titles, or does it simply mean that the shots will get another refresh? At the start of the 2006 season, all but one of the credit shots were changed, but still remained in the picture frame style, which debuted at the beginning of the 2004 season.

[-Kelly-]

^ Bless you for that news :bows down to Bella:

[*Erin*]

Thanks for that Bella, good to know that they have acknowledged it.