Last night’s episode of Neighbours paid tribute to Karl and Susan Kennedy (Alan Fletcher and Jackie Woodburne) as they looked back over the 20 years since moving into Ramsay Street.

The Kennedys — Karl and Susan with children Malcolm (Benjie McNair), Libby (Kym Valentine) and Billy (Jesse Spencer) — moved in to 28 Ramsay Street, the house previously occupied by the Willis family, making their first appearance on 3 October 1994.

The children have long moved out, and Karl and Susan have had their stormy times — including Karl’s infidelities, the couple divorcing and Susan going on to marry Alex Kinski (Andrew Clarke) — but have always ended up back together and have long been the backbone of Ramsay Street.

Karl has remained the constant face of the medical profession for Ramsay Street residents, while Susan has been a second mother to many of the younger passers by through Ramsay Street, always ready to offer a shoulder to cry on and to share some maternal pearls of wisdom. More recently she added life saver to her list of credits by performing an emergency tracheotomy on a choking Lou Carpenter (Tom Oliver) during Erinsborough’s recent tornado.

Last night’s episode — 6985 — sees the couple contemplate a move overseas to be with their son Malcolm, who has made a brief return to number 28 to say he’s about to become a dad. The episode leads us through many of the various dramatic, and not so dramatic, storylines that have followed Karl and Susan’s lives over the past 20 years.

The episode’s last scene brings together Neighbours stalwarts ‘Toadie’ (Ryan Moloney), Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis), Lou, Karl and Susan — as the pair announce that they won’t be leaving Ramsay Street after all.

Neighbours, the flagship of Network Ten‘s channel Eleven, is approaching its 7000th episode and celebrates its 30th anniversary next March.

Source: TenPlay, PerfectBlend