Next week on Home and Away in the UK, Leah gets into a car accident and John’s resignation from the surf club causes a stir in the community.
Next week, the effects of John’s (Shane Withington) recent day of caffeine withdrawal will still be felt, and JP will quit his favourite surf club.
When John’s “free coffee for a year” card at the Pier Diner expired and he became accustomed to using it multiple times a day, he was originally horrified at the idea of having to pay $4.70 (that’s £2.40, seems very reasonable!) for his fix.
He was not happy with his Bronze Medallion class since he said he would rather not go without, which annoyed Banjo (Michael Cameron), a new pupil whom he called “Man Bun.”
Banjo, who seemed offended by the ridiculous moniker, eventually dropped out of the course and filed a formal complaint against John. John reluctantly called Banjo and apologised when club president Alf (Ray Meagher) threatened to take matters to the club committee if John didn’t apologise.
However, it seems that it wasn’t sufficient because the next week, Alf answers a phone from a committee member and there are rumours around the surf club. Alf is enraged and tells them over the phone that they ought to be standing behind John because it doesn’t seem like his word as club president is doing any good.
John’s objection has been escalated, Alf subsequently acknowledges to Irene. It turns out that Banjo is actually the son of Simon Henderson, the primary sponsor of the surf club and owner of Yabbie Creek Real Estate. Simon is now threatening to revoke his sponsorship because John’s bullying has “humiliated” Banjo.
Alf is now faced with the difficult duty of informing John that his employment may be in jeopardy!
Later, Alf finds out that the club has summoned an executive meeting to discuss the problem, which is something that would only occur in an emergency. When Alf offers to buy John a coffee, he senses something is wrong because he is acting quite happy.
When John learns what has been happening, he is shocked and wants to address the meeting personally to make his point, but Alf advises him to keep his nose down.
John remains sceptical despite Alf’s assurances that he is on his side. Alf hasn’t always been nice to “Palmer,” so we can’t really hold it against him!
This time, Alf is sincere, but he expresses to Roo (Georgie Parker) his concern that the committee won’t take any notice of what he says. John, on the other hand, is certain that Henderson is a dead man walking because the club couldn’t function without his funding. However, as Irene notes, the club wouldn’t fare any better if there was no one to manage it effectively.
John rushes in determined to make his voice known as Alf later leaves for the conference, but Alf forbids him from going upstairs.
When Alf eventually arrives, John is tense, but he is unable to inform John since the club secretary must provide official confirmation. Now that John has had enough, he accuses Alf of enjoying every second of his suffering and implies that he most likely called the meeting himself.
Apart from attempting to reassure John that he is on his side, Alf maintains an unusually calm demeanour as John gives him the runaround.
Alf subsequently confesses to Roo that he felt bad for John since the executive committee wasn’t treating him fairly and that he didn’t want to kick John when he was on the ground because he knew what was going to happen.
Alf determines the following morning that John should get the news in person. John will be permitted to continue in his role as General Manager, but the committee decided to forbid him from ever enrolling in classes again, despite Alf’s protests!
With shattered heart, John tells Irene that, of all the many things he has done for the club over the years, teaching lifesavers is the most fulfilling.
John believes there is no need to continue there as a result. He formally packs up his belongings, gives Alf his whistle, and announces his resignation!
Is JP truly going to be lost from the surf club?
In a different part of Summer Bay, James Stewart’s character Justin becomes worried upon learning that Ada Nicodemou’s character Leah was hurt in an automobile accident.
When he arrives at Northern Districts Hospital in a hurry, he is shocked to see Rose (Kirsty Marillier) getting ready to breathalyse Leah, who is not hurt. Leah says she just remembers getting T-boned and turning around in the middle of an intersection. Everything after, she says, was kind of a fog.
Rose lets Leah know that she can leave as the results of her test and the other driver’s were both clear.
Back at home, Leah makes the startling admission that she did remember what happened and that she caused the accident after dozing off at the wheel. Justin accuses the other motorist of causing the accident.
Leah informs Justin that she didn’t want to worry him, despite his belief that she had fully overcome her sleep problems due to nightmares she had since their kidnapping episode.
The following morning, Rose stops by. She tells Leah that she’s watched the accident film and asks her to explain why she ran the red light.
Rose says she won’t be filing charges after hearing Leah’s explanation and observing for herself that Leah has been experiencing difficulties lately, but she does recommend that Leah shouldn’t be driving at this time.
Though Leah continues to insist that she doesn’t want to discuss it with anyone, Justin is hopeful that this may be the turning point for her to seek assistance.
Leah lashes out at Justin, saying he has no concept what she’s going through, as he presses her. For the majority of their journey, Justin was asleep, but Leah wasn’t, and she had to witness as Justin nearly passed away. That’s all she sees when she shuts her eyes.
Later, when Leah speaks with Alf, he reminds her that Justin is merely attempting to assist, but he also notes that she has a lot on her plate in terms of wedding planning. Leah is at a loss about where to begin, but Alf advises her to focus on taking care of herself first.
After arriving home, Leah apologises to Justin for cutting him off and they both decide to take things slowly. This offers Leah some food for thought.
Leah then confesses to Justin that she truly wants to put off the wedding—indefinitely—knowing that she cannot tie the knot until she resolves the issue!
