Brett Macklin

Gerry Sont (1988) — Brett Macklin (1988)

Brett Macklin was a character in Home And Away from April 1988 (Episode 61) to October 1988 (Episode 190). He made a brief return in 2005, last appearing in Episode 3973. He was the brother of Stacey Macklin and father of Roo Stewart's daughter Martha.

Brett was played by Gerry Sont in both 1988 and 2005, a rare occasion where a supporting character spent years away and wasn't recast. Brett Macklin was one of the major supporting characters in the show's first season.

Biography[]

Brett Macklin
Character Profile
Birthday:	1968
Birthplace:	Australia
Father:	Gordon Macklin
Mother:	Mrs Macklin
Siblings:	Stacey Macklin
Spouse:	Unknown
Children:	Martha MacKenzie (1987)
Occupation:	Manager of The Macklin Group
Played By:	Gerry Sont

Backstory[]

Brett Macklin was born around 1968 to Gordon Macklin and Mrs Macklin. He was sent to boarding school and inherited many of his father's less pleasant characteristics, though perhaps not his business sense.

1988[]

Brett Macklin met Roo Stewart after she was sent away to boarding school in "The City". Her head was turned by him, probably because he was a bit older, seemingly sophisticated and had a flash car and deep pockets. She became pregnant with his child but he made it clear he had no interest in becoming a father. Instead, he pushed hard for her to have an abortion. Roo decided to keep her child, going down the road of tricking her ex boyfriend Frank Morgan into thinking the baby was his. In the meantime, Brett contracted the mumps and was left infertile. Knowing that Roo's unborn child was now his only chance to have an heir, he changed his tune. He tried to ensure he would have custody of the child when it was born, getting Roo to sign some legal papers.

As part of his scheming, Brett encouraged his father Gordon to invest in Summer Bay and build a resort. The Macklins set up an office in the area and head-hunted Alf Stewart to be their lead investor. Alf's new wife Ailsa was suspicious of the Macklins and caused problems for them, leading a campaign to have the development stopped. Brett and Roo became unlikely allies as they plotted against Ailsa and nearly broke up her marriage to Alf. Brett also employed Roo's ex Frank to work in the office, not knowing that he was feeding Ailsa confidential information. Unhappy with how Brett seemed to be handling the proposed development in the area, Gordon sent his daughter Stacey to take over. At one point Brett asked Bobby Simpson out on a date but it didn't end well for him.

When Roo gave birth to a baby daughter, Gordon was disappointed to learn it was a girl. Openly sexist, he lost interest in his new granddaughter immediately. Brett, on the other hand, started to develop paternal feelings and decided he wanted to have sole custody of little Martha. After a falling out with his father, he left the family business and moved into a caravan. Now without any money, he still wanted his daughter. He stole money from the safe in the Macklin's office and snuck Martha out of the hospital. He was spotted by Stacey and Philip Matheson, who tried to stop him from leaving in his car. When Philip gave chase, Brett slammed the car door onto his hand, causing severe damage to it. This brought to and end Philip's plans to become a surgeon.

Brett and Martha weren't seen for a few days, despite the story making the news. Brett was by now struggling to look after his little daughter. She had been born premature and still was in need of medical attention. He booked them into a cheap motel in Melbourne and after realising that Martha was now very ill, rang for an ambulance. When Roo travelled to visit Martha in hospital, she told Brett that she had decided to give their child up for adoption. Much as it hurt them both to give her up, she believed it was the best option for Martha.

Brett returned to Summer Bay, still upset over Martha being given up for adoption. He visited Philip to apologise but was met with a hostile response. Now in a very bad place, Brett went to the beach and tried to drown himself in the sea. He was rescued by Gary Samuels. When Philip heard about Brett's suicide attempt, he apologised to him and told him he now accepted his apology. After a chat with Stacey, Brett decided that it would be better if he moved away and started afresh elsewhere.

2005[]

17 years later, Brett returned to see his daughter Martha, now 18 (SORASEd). Surprisingly, he wasn't particularly interested in knowing his child now. Brett became involved with Josie Russell romantically and professionally, planning to develop a new resort on the site of the Caravan Park. What he didn't know was that Josie was working to bring him and his shady dealings to light. When he realised what was going on, he tried to kill her by shoving her off a cliff. He was arrested as a result and imprisoned. As of now, Brett's whereabouts are unknown.

Memorable info[]

Birthday: About 1968

Full Name: Brett Macklin

Brett was first introduced in April 1988 when he appeared in 3 episodes. From July to October of that year, he played a much more prominent role on the show, mainly connected to the Macklin Group setting up in Summer Bay and his complicated relationship with Roo and their child.

In 2005, Brett Macklin returned after a 17 year absence. This is the longest gap between appearances of a character who left and returned, played by the same actor.

First Line: "Hiya. How was the break?" (to Roo)

Last Line:

Family[]

Father Gordon Macklin

Mother Mrs Macklin

Siblings Stacey Macklin

Children Martha MacKenzie (1987)

Grandchildren Lindsay MacKenzie

Appearances[]

1988 Total: 45 appearances

2005