Lucia Cammeniti

Neighbours

Company type	Television series
Industry	Television soap opera
Founded	March 18, 1985 (1985-03-18)
Headquarters	Melbourne , Australia
Products	Soap opera

Neighbours is an Australian soap opera that premiered on 18 March 1985. Below is a compilation of characters introduced in 2004, all under the direction of executive producer Ric Pellizzeri. The show's 20th season commenced broadcasting on 19 January 2004. In February, Svetlanka Ristic, mother to Liljana Bishop, made her debut, followed by her grandson Luka Dokich in September. Ben Barrack took on the role of Gus Cleary starting in February, while March saw the arrival of a new police officer, Allan Steiger. The Timmins family was introduced with Stingray in March and the family matriarch Janelle in November. In May, Joe Scully's brother Tom was introduced. Corrupt law enforcement officer Olivia McPherson appeared in June. August marked the introduction of Neighbours' first ongoing lesbian character, Lana Crawford, followed by psychiatrist Jeremy Levi in September. Finally, in November, Carmella Cammeniti's mother, Lucia, joined the cast.

Svetlanka Ristic

Svetlanka Ristic, played by Deidre Rubenstein, made her first appearance on 13 February 2004. She is characterized as the stern mother of Zoran and Liljana Bishop. Svetlanka and her spouse operated a vineyard near Perth. Upon visiting Liljana's household in Melbourne, she uncovers financial difficulties and seeks to manipulate her family emotionally and financially. Attempting to win favor through monetary offers and feigning illness, she ultimately faces expulsion after threatening to expose Liljana's teenage pregnancy secret. Svetlanka later returns with an offer of $100,000, which escalates familial discord but is declined. She disapproves of the relationship between her grandson Luka and granddaughter Serena, concealing Luka's true lineage. When Liljana requires a liver transplant, Svetlanka reveals that Luka is her biological son and a compatible donor. Despite some efforts at reconciliation, Liljana refuses further contact, leading Svetlanka to return to Perth. After the tragic deaths of David, Liljana, and Serena in a plane crash, Svetlanka is unable to attend their funeral due to her grief.

Gus Cleary

Gus Cleary, portrayed by Ben Barrack, first appeared on 17 February 2004. A friend of Max Hoyland from an affluent background, Gus struggles with mental illness including schizophrenia. After losing his job on his father's oil rig for incompetence, he arrives in Erinsborough causing turmoil for Max and his family. Gus manipulates those around him by dating Izzy Hoyland while exhibiting possessive and erratic behaviors such as drugging Max. His escalating actions culminate in a confrontation with Max after which he disappears. Upon discovering Izzy's pregnancy, Gus is taken to a psychiatric facility following intervention by Karl Kennedy. He resurfaces briefly at Izzy's wedding before vanishing again. Though presumed dead after the Lassiter's fire, flashbacks reveal that Paul Robinson killed him.

Allan Steiger

Senior Sergeant Allan Steiger, enacted by Joe Clements, debuted on 4 March 2004. Initially introduced as a police officer and self-defence instructor, Allan's role expanded with the arrival of his daughter Pepper Steiger and his romantic relationship with Janelle Timmins. Known for his firm yet fair demeanor, Allan trains recruits such as Stuart Parker and handles major investigations including those into the Lassiter's fire and David Bishop’s fraudulent framing. He provides support to colleagues facing personal difficulties and leads inquiries into stalking incidents involving Paul Robinson. After discovering that his ex-wife Christine is a lesbian, Allan begins dating Janelle Timmins; they eventually marry before relocating to the Solomon Islands where Allan accepts a new position.

Stingray Timmins

Stingray Timmins, portrayed by Ben Nicholas, first appeared on 11 March 2004 as the youngest son of Janelle and Kim Timmins. Nicholas secured this role shortly before filming commenced and described joining Neighbours as a dream realized.

Tom Scully

Tom Scully, played by Andrew Larkins, made his debut on 5 May 2004 as Joe Scully’s younger brother and a Catholic priest who becomes romantically involved with Susan Kennedy. Their relationship stirred controversy due to its conflict with priestly vows; Tom eventually leaves the priesthood for Susan but their differences lead to separation. Returning in 2007 as Principal of Erinsborough High School, Tom rekindles feelings for Susan but honors her marriage to Karl Kennedy before resigning to move overseas.

Olivia McPherson

Olivia "Mac" McPherson, portrayed by Silvia de Crespigny, first appeared on 3 June 2004 as a police officer who dates both Jack Scully and Stuart Parker while secretly battling corruption driven by drug addiction and nightlife excesses. Olivia coerces Jack into staging robberies to finance her habits until Stuart exposes her misconduct resulting in her arrest and eventual decision to amend her ways.

Lana Crawford

'Lana Crawford, played by Bridget Neval, debuted on 31 August 2004 as Neighbours first openly lesbian character. Lana participated in the show’s inaugural on-screen lesbian kiss with Sky Mangel and is revealed as cousin to Sindi Watts.

Luka Dokich

Luka Dokich, enacted by Keelan O'Hehir, made his first appearance on 14 September 2004 as Liljana Bishop’s biological son who was adopted at birth. Luka arrives searching for his grandmother Svetlanka and quickly bonds with half-sister Serena Bishop without realizing they share a mother—leading to an incestuous relationship revelation that causes significant family turmoil. Luka’s troubled history includes school arson; he eventually reconciles with Liljana before returning to Perth.

Jeremy Levi

Jeremy Levi, portrayed by Roger Neave, debuted on 21 September 2004 as a psychiatrist at Erinsborough Hospital treating prominent characters such as Izzy Hoyland for nightmares and Boyd Hoyland for adolescent schizophrenia (later diagnosed as a brain tumour). Jeremy’s involvement extends across numerous mental health storylines including Sindi Watts’ paranoia, Stephanie Scully’s competency evaluation, Paul Robinson’s memory loss hypnotherapy revealing criminal activity, Nicola West’s paranoia diagnosis leading to secure unit admission, Zeke Kinski’s fugue state recovery prognosis, Miranda Parker’s legal mental health assessment, and psychological evaluations related to surrogacy arrangements.

Lucia Cammeniti

Lucia Cammeniti, played by Maria Mercedes, debuted on 2 November 2004 as the assertive matriarch of the Cammeniti family who assumes control over family enterprises during husband Rocco’s incarceration. She is portrayed as domineering and meddlesome, pressuring daughter Rosetta into an arranged marriage while managing Carmella’s career and romantic life—including orchestrating tests for Carmella’s boyfriend Connor O'Neill—and later endorses Rosetta’s relationship with Frazer Yeats despite initial objections related to his disability.

Janelle Timmins

Janelle Timmins, portrayed by Nell Feeney, serves as matriarch of the Timmins family—mother to Dylan, Stingray, Janae, and Bree—and made her first appearance on 11 November 2004. Janelle is depicted as a grounded country woman with a no-nonsense attitude.

Others

Date(s)	Character	Actor	Circumstances
23 January 2004–30 July 2007	Stanford Mundy	Michael Quinn	Stanford, a surgeon employed at Erinsborough Hospital and colleague of Karl Kennedy, performs a paternity test that confirms Paul Robinson and Oliver Barnes are not biologically related.
4 April	Ryan Swan	Patrick Williams	Ryan visits a café with his father John, where Sky Mangel identifies John as the individual responsible for her mother's death, leading to a tense encounter. John contemplates his decision to abandon hunting.
6 April	Sally Jeffries	Isabella Stephenson	Sally, the younger sibling of Lisa Jeffries, celebrates her birthday party featuring Gus Cleary dressed as a clown; however, his performance fails to entertain the attendees.
13 April 2004–14 January 2005	Madeleine Lee	Madison Lu	Born in New Zealand to Lori Lee and Connor O'Neill, Madeleine later receives care when Connor forms a bond with her and funds treatment for a severe ear infection.
4 June 2004–2 February 2005	Krystal	Estelle Andrewartha	As a personal trainer, Krystal coaches David Bishop and subsequently Boyd Hoyland, convincing Boyd to pursue bodybuilding and use anabolic steroids. Boyd eventually rejects her influence upon realizing her manipulation.
28 June–5 July	Therese Bray	Susan Turner	Employed at the local Catholic church, Therese resigns after overhearing Tom Scully confess his feelings for Susan Kennedy and sharing her own comparable experience.
28 July 2004–25 February 2005	Caleb Wilson	Joss Kasper	Caleb, the son of a wealthy businessman, meets Summer Hoyland at a resort. Their relationship progresses until Caleb pressures Summer to deepen their commitment, causing strain between them.
6, 13 September	Krishneel Nand	Curtis Fernandez	Serving as Nina Tucker's personal assistant, Krishneel manages her appointments and guest arrangements during their stay in Ramsay Street.
13–14 September 2004, 7 December 2021–present	Rhonda Del Rubio	Rebekah Robertson	Acting as legal counsel for Karl Kennedy during his divorce from Susan Kennedy, Rhonda oversees mediation and court proceedings concerning asset division. Years later, she provides marital counseling to Paul Robinson and Terese Willis, along with therapy for other principal clients addressing complex familial issues.
15 September–19 October	Travis Dean	Adrian Foley	Travis intimidates Boyd Hoyland about poster placements, escalating to arson. Boyd records Travis's confession leading to his arrest; Travis later withdraws an excessive force claim against the arresting officer following advice from Toadfish Rebecchi.
27 September–30 November	Brendan Bond	Michael Wahr	Brendan dates Lana Crawford at Erinsborough High School. After Lana discloses her preference for women, Brendan responds with homophobic remarks.
7 October	Buffy Only	Laura Gordon	Buffy, editor of the underground gay publication Leichen, meets with Sky Mangel and Lana Crawford regarding their comic strip submission and briefly dates Lana.
17–29 November	'Nick Sullivan'	'Angus Grant'	Nick is Lori Lee's partner who clashes with Connor O'Neill over relocation plans; Lori ends their relationship when Nick insists on moving to Adelaide.
'24 November 2004–1 February 2005'	Doreen Cassidy	Anne Phelan	Doreen, sister of Charlie Cassidy, supports her family during Charlie's deteriorating health and encourages reconciliation prior to his death.
'1 December 2004–12 January 2005'	Georgina Harris	Adrienne Smith	After discovering Lana Crawford is a lesbian, Georgina invites her to the school formal where they develop a connection; they part ways when Lana returns to Canada.
'10 December 2004–1 February 2005'	Michael Cassidy	David Paterson	Michael Cassidy, son of Charlie Cassidy, experiences family conflicts following Charlie's passing but ultimately reconciles with Lyn Scully and Stephanie Scully.

External links

• Complete cast and characters on the Internet Movie Database