Ailsa Stewart

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Ailsa Stewart

Ailsa in 2000
Portrayed by Judy Nunn
First appearance January 17, 1988
Pilot
Last appearance February 13, 2003
Episode 3345 (ghostly visions)
Profile
Nickname(s) Ailse (by Alf)
Gender Female
Age 55 (Deceased)
Occupation Co-owner of Bayside diner
Co-Owner of the Beachside Diner

Ailsa Stewart (née O'Rourke; previously Hogan) was a fictional character in the Australian soap opera Home and Away. She was married to Alf Stewart and had a son Duncan. She was played by Judy Nunn for 13.5 years. When Nunn left the show she was one of 4 original cast members.

[edit] Before the Bay

Ailsa was born into a broken home where her father, Harold would frequently hit her, her mother and her siblings, Tony and Bridget. One day Ailsa decided she'd had enough and stabbed Harold, resulting in his death. Ailsa then served time in prison for her father's murder and one night she was raped by a prison guard, resulting in the conception of daughter, Shauna Bradley who Ailsa, gave up for adoption.

[edit] History

Ailsa appeared in the first episode of Home and Away and caught the eye of Alf Stewart. Within 86 episodes they married, despite opposition from Alf's spoilt daughter, Roo.

Ailsa fell pregnant in 1989 and gave birth to a son, Duncan. However, things weren't as rosy as Ailsa had suffered post-natal depression and had attempted to smother Duncan. Later that year, Ailsa's niece Emma came to live with her and Alf.

Throughout the years, Alf and Ailsa had a succession of foster children, who took up a lot of their time which led to Duncan resenting them and behaving badly to get their attention in his early teens.

In 2000, Ailsa came face to face with Shauna Bradley, the daughter she had given up all those years ago. The revelation wasn't easy for both women but they managed to form a bond.

Later that year, Ailsa died of a curious heart attack while lifting some boxes in the back of the diner, leaving her family devastated.

In the 2002 finale, she appeared as a vision only Alf Stewart could see and stayed on the show for over three months. This time the character was more bitchy and evil towards a sick Alf, eventually making him decide between life and death in mid 2003.