Marshall Heywood debuted in early 2001 as part of the show's revamp. Marshall was the troublesome 17-year-old son of Barbara Heywood and he ended up creepily filming Blake Crombie's family in their home. He dated Erin Kingston before he started sleeping with brother Adam's much older girlfriend, Robyn Stokes. Marshall dropped out of school to become an artist but developed a drug addiction and whilst cooking meth in the basement, accidentally exploded the house, leaving Barb temporarily blind. Marshall went on the run but was eventually sentenced to time in a juvenile centre. He dated Shannon TeNgaru before moving onto Mihi Hudson, but her family's opposition separated them. In 2003 Marshall grew close to Delphi Greenlaw but the potential romance was put to an end when he accused her boyfriend, Dom of murdering her brother. The following year Marshall had a near death experience and shockingly moved to Australia to become a priest. In September Barb went to Sydney to witness Marshall get ordained.
Toni Warner
Antoinette "Toni" Warner arrived to the show in 2001 as part of a cast revamp. She was portrayed by Laura Hill for 7 years, in a stint that saw her become the first ever character to give birth, get married and die on screen.
Patricia Hewitt first appeared in the soap during the 2001 revamp. She was hired by Chris Warner as the new CEO of the hospital. The staff were shocked when it was revealed that the clean edged and married Patricia had previously been in a lesbian relationship for many years. Patricia's heart began to fail and as the year ended it became clear she needed a transplant. The death of Judy's boyfriend enabled Patricia to receive one but early the following year, she devastatingly lost her son Jack. After covering up Jack's severe mental illness, Patricia decided it was best she stood down and she departed Ferndale.
Lily Jansen
Lily Jansen made her first appearance in May 2001 under the name Samara Hindmarsh. Chris Warner was shocked to see Samara; he and brother Guy had teased her as a child and she had become a beautiful and successful woman. The two began to date, much to the jealousy of Rachel McKenna, who had fallen in love with Chris. Chris and Samara became engaged however Rachel began to dig dirt on her and discovered her real name was Lily, leading to a dramatic cat fight on the wedding day. Lily's secret was uncovered on the wedding day when the real Samara's mother, Samantha revealed she was not her daughter. It turned out the real Samara was Lily's more successful best friend and when she tragically fell down a cliff on a hike, Lily had jealously stolen her identity. Chris called off the wedding and Lily was arrested.
Shannon Hudson
Shannon Hudson first appeared in a minor role in 2001. Due to Amber Curreen's convincing acting, Shannon was brought back for several more stints before joining the core cast. Mihi Hudson befriended Shannon when she discovered her dysfunctional family life and she soon became a foster daughter of Mihi's mother, Te Hana. Shannon briefly dated Marshall, before she had a brief fling with Mihi's young brother Tama Hudson. Shannon returned several months later, pregnant with Tama's child. She and Tama reconciled and plans were made for the baby to be adopted. However shortly after giving birth to their baby boy, he died and a devastated Shannon turned to drink and attempted suicide. Shannon and Tama got engaged but feeling lonely, Shannon left Tama for an affair with Vinnie Kruse. She realized she still loved Tama however and the two married on Christmas Day 2004. Shannon gave birth to a daughter named Rangimarie Hudson however she fell in love with Tama's cousin Whetu. In 2006 after a bitter custody battle, Shannon took Rangimarie and left with Whetu to live up North.
Jack Hewitt
Jack Hewitt first appeared in August 2001, portrayed by Manu Bennett. He was the adoptive son of hospital CEO, Patricia Hewitt. Jack was a lawyer and wooed several members of the hospital staff including Toni Thompson and Rachel McKenna. He began to date Rachel but began to suspect her and Chris Warner of having an affair. To spite Chris he uncovered his prior drug addiction and spread it around the hospital. It soon became clear to Rachel that Jack was seriously mentally unwell and was off his medication. As the year ended Jack kidnapped Rachel and attempted to force her to marry him in an isolated forest. Chris tracked the two down however and in early 2002 when he realized he had been caught, Jack threw himself in the path of a truck, instantly killing him. The portrayal of mental illness through the character of Jack was heavily criticized for its use of stereotyping and inaccuracies. In 2012, the character was named as one of the standout characters of the show's first 20 years.
Robyn Stokes
Robyn Stokes first appeared for several weeks in 2001 when she began to date a doctor at the hospital, Adam Heywood. She proved a bad influence on the pregnant Toni Thompson and lead her to drink and party. Scandal broke out when it was revealed Robyn had been sleeping with Adam's 17-year-old brother Marshall behind Adam's back and following the break up, she departed Ferndale. She returned the following year and desperately tried to lure Toni away with her to Saudi Arabia, leaving her baby boy, Harry without a mother. Toni declined and Robyn spiked her drink before leaving. Robyn returned again 2 years later and got a job at the hospital. Robyn had a relationship with Mark Weston and blackmailed Dom Thompson about his fraud of the hospital. However her true goal was to reconcile with Andrew Solomon, whom she had mothered a child with named Caleb, who had died. She went to extremes to steal Andrew from Sarah, including drugging and kidnapping his sister Claire and hiring a man to run over Andrew. Robyn used Andrew's brain damaged state to sleep with him before she departed. However she returned on the day of Andrew and Sarah's wedding and announced she was pregnant, with twins. The news broke apart the married couple and Andrew departed Ferndale with Robyn to live in England. In March 2006 Claire informed Sarah that Robyn's twins had been born. O'Sullivan landed a nomination for "Best Actress" in the 2005 TV Guide Best on the Box Awards for her portrayal of Robyn.
Laurel Dupree
Laurel Dupree appeared in sporadic guest stints from 2001 to 2015. She was portrayed by the soap opera's casting director - Andrea Kelland. Ms. Dupree was at first the deputy principal of the school when Marshall, Mihi and Tama attended but the following year, landed the job of principal. Dupree appeared in 2004 when she sorted out bullying by Tash Munro. In 2009 Dupree clashed with Daniel Potts due to his badboy antics but warmed to head girl Sophie McKay. Two years late she invited Vinnie Kruse to speak to the school about being a doctor after mistaking him for Ula Levi's father, Maxwell Avia. In 2012 Dupree assured Ula the school would look after her during pregnancy. In 2015 schoolgirls Honour Aleni and Clementine Dean discovered Ms Dupree had been admitted to hospital for surgery on her beasts - leading the two to believe she was having plastic surgery. They pulled a cruel prank on her only to discover she was actually suffering from breast cancer. Upon discovering the prank, receptionist Leanne Miller punished the two and made them apologise.
