Alf begins to isolate himself from his friends and family as suspicion grows that he was involved in Abigail’s accident.

 

Alf (Ray Meagher) recently found himself on the wrong side of the law when he was pulled over by Cash (Nicholas Cartwright) and enthusiastic new Probationary Constable Richie (Rocco Forrester-Sach) for driving with a lapsed registration.

As Cash was forced to ask Alf for his licence, Alf responded that there was a slight problem there – “it’s expired too!”

Roo (Georgie Parker) had recently found a letter explaining that now Alf had turned 75, he couldn’t renew his licence until he completed a mandatory medical checkup – and with the letter a month old, he’d missed the deadline and his licence had lapsed.

With Alf having already become fed up of Roo’s growing concerns about his age, he wrote the letter off as a load of rubbish, claiming that he’d sort it out when he was good and ready.

After some initial hesitation, he soon called to make an appointment, and was on the way to see his doctor when he was pulled over, despite knowing that he was breaking the law by driving himself there.

Thankfully, while Richie was keen to process the paperwork, Cash made it clear that they could use their discretion; as it was Alf’s first offence, they could let him off with a warning.

However, Alf insisted that they give him a fine, not wanting special treatment, and went on to cancel his medical assessment in frustration.

It took David (Jeremy Lindsay Taylor) to convince him that he had no choice but to book an appointment with the doc if he wanted to continue driving, after Alf opened up to him and explained that he was scared that the doctor would find something of concern.

Eventually, Alf got Justin (James Stewart) to drive him, and after getting everything signed off, he was officially given a renewed licence.

He’d planned on making the trip to Merimbula to visit Martha, but after initially shrugging off Roo’s concerns about embarking on such a long drive so soon, he eventually conceded that the time wasn’t right and that he’d give her plenty of warning of future trips away.

He instead took a trip to nearby Banksia Creek for a spot of fishing the following morning.

Meanwhile, Abigail (Hailey Pinto) was on her way back from a night out in Reefton Lakes with Lacey (Sophea Pennington), when she got a flat tyre near to Banksia Creek.

Stopping at the side of the road to fix it, she was hit by the side mirror of a passing vehicle, injuring her leg and leaving her with a gash to her arm.

The driver failed to stop, leaving Abigail to limp home alone.

When Abby and Levi (Tristan Gorey) headed to the police station to report the incident, Abby explained that she barely had a chance to see the car that hit her, but that she was fairly sure it was a red ute.

News soon spread around the bay, and Roo was taken aback to hear that the car that had hit Abby sounded awfully similar to her dad’s ute.

Knowing that he’d been at Banksia Creek at the same time, she confronted him at the surf club and asked if there was any chance he’d inadvertently hit someone whilst driving back from his fishing trip.

While Alf denied any involvement, the encounter was overheard by new cop Richie – who now just so happens to be dating Abby – and he immediately reported their conversation to Cash and David.

Alf was furious at the accusations, telling David that he’d stop and help if he saw someone with a flat tyre, not plough into them, and couldn’t believe it when he’s told that his ute will have go to in for forensics.

At the end of last week, Alf approached Abby at the surf club, planning on having a conversation with her about the incident and to check that she was okay, but when she flinched as he moved towards her, he realised that she too thinks he’s to blame.

This week, it’s nearly time for baby Archie’s first birthday party.

His actual birthday was a couple of weeks ago, but the celebrations were postponed after Tane (Ethan Browne) was hospitalised.

With Tane about to be released from hospital, and now a free man, Summer Bay bands together to put the final preparations in place for the party.

However, there’s one other big topic of conversation going around the bay – did Alf hit Abigail? And with Abby unable to remember the details, Alf is growing increasingly agitated.

“Everybody thinks it’s Alf and no one is taking him seriously,” Ray explains to TV Week. “And the gossip begins to gain momentum around town so much that he becomes frustrated and kind of loses it at Abigail for not remembering – because this is his life.”

When Harper (Jessica Redmayne) invites Alf along to the party, considering him an ‘honorary grandfather’ to her son, he’s not willing to go. He explains that he can’t face the community when everyone believes that he was responsible for Abby’s injuries.

To top it off, with even his own daughter doubting him, he begins to doubt himself.

Not wanting to risk hurting anyone else, he hands over his car keys and makes an announcement – he’s giving up driving.

Meanwhile, the party gets into full swing, with Sonny (Ryan Bown) playing his part by building a toy tricycle for Archie, while Tane enjoys the chance to reconnect with his friends after his extended stint away from Summer Bay.

Tane also takes the chance to tell John (Shane Withington) and Mali (Kyle Shilling) that he’s okay with the fact that they re-opened Summer Bay Fit without his permission, as part of their plan to help Sonny with his recovery.

It seems normality is finally returning for Tane, Harper and Archie.

Marilyn (Emily Symons) is of course on hand with the food, as Harper delights in how well the day has gone.

But with everyone in such high spirits, there’s just one person missing – Alf.

Will he really continue to push away his friends and family, or can he be convinced to join in on the fun?