Showbiz
What with this global economic meltdown, the rise of knife crime and England's dismal World Cup showing, sometimes in life you need some constants. Sometimes you want a reassuring figure to turn to for advice, someone who will always be there through thick and thin and never let you down. For anyone who has grown up watching Australian soaps, there has only ever been one person up to the job. His real name is Ray Meagher. But you probably know him better as Alf 'flamin' Stewart.
Meagher has been playing the role of Alf since Home & Away launched way back in 1988. With his own brand of catchphrases ("flamin' mongrels", "flamin galah!", "stone the flamin' crows", "strewth Ailsa"), Alf is the no-nonsense local businessman who has a peculiar close friendship with the youths and scalliwags of Summer Bay. He's also had a rather incredible amount of long-lost family members down the years, but we're not going to quibble about such details. Apart from a brief period when he went doolally in 2003 - following his wife Ailsa's (Judy Nunn) death, when he had a breakdown and started seeing visions of her - Alf has always been the most dependable of blokes. If you're not convinced of his greatness then consider this one final thought: Alf is currently involved in a storyline where he is being stalked by a ventriloquist dummy called Mister Oddly. We know, it's simply brilliant!
Click along our gallery below for some classic snaps of Ray/Alf in action:
Meagher has been playing the role of Alf since Home & Away launched way back in 1988. With his own brand of catchphrases ("flamin' mongrels", "flamin galah!", "stone the flamin' crows", "strewth Ailsa"), Alf is the no-nonsense local businessman who has a peculiar close friendship with the youths and scalliwags of Summer Bay. He's also had a rather incredible amount of long-lost family members down the years, but we're not going to quibble about such details. Apart from a brief period when he went doolally in 2003 - following his wife Ailsa's (Judy Nunn) death, when he had a breakdown and started seeing visions of her - Alf has always been the most dependable of blokes. If you're not convinced of his greatness then consider this one final thought: Alf is currently involved in a storyline where he is being stalked by a ventriloquist dummy called Mister Oddly. We know, it's simply brilliant!
Click along our gallery below for some classic snaps of Ray/Alf in action:
Copyright: Rex Features
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