EPISODE 371 Maxine tries to double-cross her brother-in-law in an armed hold-up. Joan spreads a rumour about Tracey Belman's disability - then tries to prove it's true. And Lizzie receives a reminder of the past. First broadcast ... 1983 (Melbourne) Broadcast on Channel 5 Friday 02 October 1998 04:40 DVD release: volume 24 disc 1 (AUS) Duration: 0:45:15

Meg ~ Elspeth Ballantyne Judy ~ Betty Bobbitt Lizzie ~ Sheila Florance Joan ~ Maggie Kirkpatrick Bea ~ Val Lehman Colleen ~ Judith McGrath Ann ~ Gerda Nicolson Maxine ~ Lisa Crittenden Phyllis ~ Reylene Pearce Tracey ~ Alyson Best Wally ~ Alan Hopgood Mikki ~ Christine Keogh Maggie May Kennedy ~ Davina Whitehouse Pauline ~ Linden Wilkinson Roger ~ Bruce Kilpatrick Spud ~ Robert Forza Mrs Daniels ~ Marie Redshaw Lizta Stathopolous ~ Christine Totos Prosecutor ~ Colin Vancao Magistrate ~ Bill Bennett Jerry Steele ~ Peter Harvey-Wright Muriel Baxter ~ Beverly Phillips Spiros Stathopolous ~ Antonios Baxevanidis Mr Millett ~ Murray Smith Written by Bryon Williams Directed by Kendal Flanagan Maggie May's folksy smock has been seen before - in (170) .

Colleen tells Joan that she has to report Tracey's accusation. Litza's father arrives at Driscoll, raves at Wally and collapses clutching his heart: Litza claims he's faking and escapes through a window. Roger tells Pauline that after Mrs Chandler's death, he will have to put the money back in the account, as the dates will reveal that the money went out after her death. Pauline admits that there's nothing left to repay: she's used all the money repaying their debts. Bea and Lizzie see a solicitor: he advises Bea to plead guilty with provocation and Lizzie to protect herself by saying that she only gave Bea the gun for safe keeping or protection. Joan scoffs at Bea's insistence that Zara will give evidence against her. Maxine comes to the halfway house: Judy persuades her to go back home and try to make it up with her family. Joan is cleared of harassing Tracey, but is told she is no longer to look after her: Joan is outraged that this makes it look as if there were some truth in the accusation and Tracey's word is being believed over hers. At Bea's hearing, Meg is forced to admit that Bea admitted to killing Nola and threatened Joan, saying she'd get her next. Joan gives evidence of Bea's hostility towards Nola for pushing here aside and taking over as top dog. Roger decides to do a pay-roll snatch. Mikki makes a mistake when she tells Muriel's husband on the phone that she isn't at the halfway house, as she thinks Muriel shouldn't try to contact him. Muriel is furious and tells Mikki not to interfere. Pauline lets Maxine know about the financial trouble she and Roger are in. The magistrate decides Bea and Lizzie will go trial: Ann decides it wouldn't be right for them to carry on sharing a cell and moves Bea out. The women hear a newsflash about Maggie Kennedy, a 72 year old drug runner, who's been given a 20 year sentence. Maxine suggests to Spud that they do a payroll snatch to help Pauline out. Phyllis and Lizzie overhear Colleen and Joan discussing Tracey's "psychologically induced trauma". Maggie Kennedy is brought to Wentworth. Phyllis tips Tracey out of her wheelchair as she is watching TV in the rec room: Joan refuses to help her up. Roger parks his car and waits in an alleyway with a gun for the man carrying the payroll. Joan makes a move on Tracey, knowing that Ann and Colleen are around to witness Tracey standing up out of her chair and trying to get away from Joan. Spud and Maxine do the pay-roll snatch: Roger goes to see why his victim hasn't turned up and finds the job has already been done. Lizzie meets Maggie, who's been put to share her cell: they realise they know each other and last met 40 years ago, when Maggie's surname was Mullins. ***

Someone in the props department had great fun in this episode. Not only did they handwrite a list of people Maxine's sister and her husband consider asking for a loan including:

JUDY GARLAND - ELIZABETH WINDSOR - JOHN WAYNE - MARGARET THATCHER and later MOTHER THERESA

WENTWORTH DETENTION CENTRE - INFORMATION FOR AN OFFENCE. Interviewer: Mr A Pennington Defendant: Tracy (sic) Ann Belman SIXTH of July 1983 at WENTWORTH PRISON You know that if you piss on a flea it will follow the stream of your piss right up to your dick and bite it on the knob. I bet not to(o) many of you know that because I just made it up to fill in this report that no one will see anyway because the writing is far to(o) small to read thats if you can read at all the time is exactly twelve o clock the date is the 31st of January 1983 and its 82 degrees outside shit I wish I were out side instead of being stuck in this green room typing all this shit for Grant god is this boring so you [...] Humpty Dumpty was pushed isnt that the biggest load of shit you ever [heard?] well well look who has just arrived get a load of the hairstyle ok she has just gone to answer the [phone?] lets get physical now there goes Chris just like a seedy [...] suggestive[...]

Thanks to Louise in the OTI Recroom who through the magic of the new DVDs and some persistence suggests that a more accurate reading might be:

WENTWORTH DETENTION CENTRE
INFORMATION FOR AN OFFENCE
Informant: Mr G Denniston
Defendant Trac[e]y Ann Belman
The information of G Denniston of Wentworth Detention Centre in the state of Victoria who
that the above named defendant on the SIXTH day of JULY 1983 at Wentworth Prison in the said state did
you know that if you p*ss on a flea it will follow the st[r]eam of p*ss righ[t] up yo your d*ck and bite it on the knob I bet not to[o] many of you know that because I just made it up to fill in this report that no one will see anyway because the writting is far to[o] small to read thats if you can read at all the time is exactly twelve oclock the date is the 31st of Janurary 1983 and its 37 degrees out side sh*t I wish I were out side instead of being stuck in this green room typing all this sh*t out for Grant god is this boring do you know what its like to be rip[p]ed off by your boss Humpty dumpty was pushed isnt that the biggest load of sh*t you have ever Well well look who has just arrived get a load of the hair style ok she has just gone to answer the bkgie[?] lets get physical now there goes Chris just like a strip of suggestive film

As Louise points out, two of the "I"s appear to have been inked over - I suspect to correct that they'd been typed in lower case.

Thanks also to agent warren on the same forum for the inpired suggestion that the mystery word in the last sentence was (or was meant to be) "bugle", as in "answer the bugle", an established usage that some put-upon underling might well use to mean following orders from on high.

Further thanks to Squizz for the suggestion that G (not C) Denniston is likely to be the same as the Grant mentioned in the text, since Grant Denniston is credited for Props for this episode. No way of knowing for sure, but I like the suggestion that a plausible candidate as the author of the statement would be a certain Peter O'Connor, credited as Set Dresser for the same episode?

ITV regional broadcast dates:-
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