When Home And Away first arrived on Channel Seven in 1988 it followed the Fletcher family who arrived in Summer Bay from the city.
Tom, his wife Pippa and their five foster children, Frank Morgan, Carly Morris, Steven Matheson, Lynn Davenport and Sally Fletcher.
After buying the Caravan Park, they soon made friends with local shopkeepers Alf Stewart and Ailsa, as well a retired carnival workers Neville and Floss McPhee.
The Australian soap is the second longest-running series in Australia, behind Neighbours which began in 1985.
Home And Away is the most awarded program at the Logie Awards, with the soap being inducted into the Logie Hall Of Fame in 2015.
While some of the original characters and their co-stars have remained on the show for decades it catapulted many of the show’s alumni to fame and successful media careers.
As some left to pursue fame in Hollywood, others have turned their back on acting forever. Here, MailOnline takes a look at what everyone is doing now.
Roger Oakley as Tom Fletcher
Roger played the foster father Tom Fletcher from the soap’s pilot episode in 1988
The New Zealand-born actor has now notched up almost 50 years in showbiz, with his last on-screen appearance being for the show Winners And Losers in 2013
Roger played the foster father Tom Fletcher from the soap’s pilot episode in 1988.
He previously told New Idea that one of his fondest memories on the show was spent with the young Kate Ritchie: ‘There was always a fruit bowl brimming with apples and bananas and adorable Katie and I would pass the time pretending the bananas were telephones and have amazing conversations.’
Tom was killed off the series in 1990 after losing control of his car suffering a heart attack at the wheel.
He was revived in 2008 as a ghost, appearing in a scene where foster daughter Sally (Kate Ritchie) experienced a near-death experience.
The New Zealand-born actor has now notched up almost 50 years in showbiz, with his last on-screen appearance being for the show Winners And Losers in 2013.
Vanessa Downing as Pippa Fletcher
Vanessa played the kind-hearted foster mother Pippa, who took many children under her wing in her short two-year stint on the show
