Floss McPhee

Floss McPhee is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away played by actress Sheila Kennelly. Floss first appeared in the pilot episode in 17th January, 1988 until departing in 1989, when she was written out of the series along with Frank Lloyd who played her on-screen husband Neville McPhee. However she has made sporadic returns first in 2000, for Sally Fletcher (Kate Ritchies) wedding storyline and again in 2002, 2004 and 2008, for various story arcs.

Storylines

Floss, along with her husband Neville McPhee (Frank Lloyd) first appears in the Caravan Park when the Fletcher family arrive. Floss travels to the city meets her grandson Ben (Justin Rosniak) after lying to his nanny about her references and uses a false name "Mrs Neville". Ben, not knowing who Floss is rude to her at first but eventually softens towards her and she takes him to Summer Bay to meet his grandfather. When Ben discovers pictures of his father Scott (Peter Ford) in a photo album belonging to Floss and Neville, he wants to know the truth. Floss tells him and he reveals that Scott told them they were dead. Scott later turns up in Summer Bay and retrieves Ben much to the displeasure of him and his parents. Floss and Neville follow them back to the city and camp out on the front lawn until Scott agrees to let them see Ben. The police arrive and investigate a complaint made by Ben against Scott saying that he had hit him. After everything is cleared up, Scott orders Floss and Neville to leave but they don't want to. Ben threatens to run away when his grandparents are banished, so they lie to him, telling him they don't want to see him again. When Mother's Day approaches, Scott agrees to visit Floss and brings his wife Anna (Kate Turner), and Ben with him and the McPhees spend the day playing the beach.

Floss becomes obsessed after a Tarot reading reveals Bobby Simpson (Nicolle Dickson) will cause the death of one of the Fletchers and remembers the license plate when she begins dreaming of Frank Morgan's (Alex Papps) death in a car accident. Bobby destroys Frank's car after hearing this but the McPhees give Tom Fletcher (Roger Oakley), an anonymous cheque and he buys Frank a new car with an almost identical license plate. Frank has an accident on the day of his wedding while swerving to avoid Bobby but survives. In early 1989, Floss and Neville decide to leave the bay and join their old circus. They sneak away, not wanting a big fuss but their car breaks down and The Fletchers catch them just in time to say a proper goodbye.

Just over a decade later, Floss returns to the bay for Sally Fletcher's (Kate Ritchie) ill-fated wedding to Kieran Fletcher (Spencer McLaren). She tells Sally that Neville died four years previous but lived a good life. In 2002, Summer Bay celebrates its 150th anniversary and Floss predicts the Mirgini disaster after warning Shelley Sutherland (Paula Forrest) against wearing red. Shelly and her daughter, Kirsty (Christie Hayes) are lost at sea for several days. When they are eventually rescued, Floss leaves.

Floss returns in 2004 with the travelling circus and reveals to Sally that she is dying of cancer and wants her and her husband Flynn Saunders (Joel McIlroy) to help euthanize her. However, Floss receives news that she is not dying after all. Four years later on the eve of Sally's departure, Floss has a vision of Aden Jefferies (Todd Lasance) in trouble. Aden is found in the crumbling wreck of the collapsing Beachside Diner and safely rushed to hospital. Floss later attends Sally's tribute night at the school before setting off again.

Reception

Kennelly received a fan letter from a viewer in Queensland who had read she lived on a farm in the Hunter Region. The letter arrived in less than a week.^[1] Floss and her husband Neville were described by Lucy Clark of the Sun-Herald as "A Funny Old Pair".^[2]

References