Elly Fielding played by Penny Cook

Episodes 1 - 209

Elly Fielding is Westside's local Doctor running the Cameron Street Medical Centre. She has worked very hard to gain the support and trust of the E STREET community and is very popular. Elly starts her own medical practice when she divorces husband, Dr. David Fielding. They have a daughter, Claire, but due to David's extra marital affairs, Elly and David split on bad terms. Elly's closest friends are Martha and Bob. Martha is a district nurse and she works with Elly at the practice. They love a good gossip and are always there for each other in times of need. Bob is the local vicar and despite his dodgy past, Elly befriended him as soon as he arrived in Westside. They are very close and every morning Bob joins Elly and Claire for breakfast. After Elly's the divorce papers come through Elly and Bob take a trip on a boat to celebrate. They share a kiss but it amounts to nothing and gets put down to a friendly encounter. From then on it's clear that Bob sees Elly as something more than `just a good friend`. Although she remains blind to the fact, they share many more 'moments' as E STREET progresses.

Relations between Elly and David are strained, especially when it comes to the welfare of Claire. Elly is a fantastic mother and refuses to use Claire as an object in their everlasting battle. David however, is under the spell of his manipulative girlfriend, Miki Fallon and he announces that he is going to apply for custody of Claire. Elly enlists the help of local lawyer, Sarah McKillop. They haven't always got on but Sarah dotes on Claire and Elly really needs all the support she can get. At the same time Elly goes on a few dates with an old friend of hers and David. With poor Bob as the baby-sitter, Elly and Gordon enjoy each others company and he seems quite serious about her. However, when David finds out he uses it against Elly. He taunts Elly about Gordon; leading her to give him a well deserved slap. He uses this against her and plans to tell the court that she is a 'tart' parading a whole line of men in front of Claire. On the day of the custody hearing, Sarah fails to show up. She is later found dead by Bob and appears to have been murdered. The hearing is postponed and Elly is left devastated at the loss of someone who was becoming a good friend.. Matters are not made easier when Miki confronts Elly proclaiming that the custody appeal will most certainly go ahead. Despite Miki's enthusiasm, David is starting to have doubts and when he witnesses Elly telling Claire about Sarah he realises what a great mother she is and leaves Miki. Elly is relieved that the hearing is over but is not impressed when David arrives at her flat ready to move in! She plays along with his happy family ideas for the sake of Claire but she tells him that there is no way they are getting back together.

Before Sarah died, she and Elly went to a video dating agency for a laugh. Although Elly lost her nerve and couldn't go through with it, she spotted a rather nice looking guy in reception who had also lost his nerve. He introduces himself as Daniel Windsor and they enjoy a drink together. Elly seems smitten and when Bob calls around that night ready to declare his love for her, she tells him all about Daniel - `the most interesting man she's ever met.` Daniel is a widower, a pilot and a father of four. Despite David's constant interference and the fact that Daniel's children Toni, Tom, Simon and Sally don't really approve; Elly and Daniel really like each other and things move quite fast between them. When Daniel is called to out on a flight, Elly looks after the children and they slowly begin to warm towards her. Tom sees her as a new mother and Toni although likes her she does feel slightly threatened by her. Whilst the children are in Elly's care Daniel's plane crashes and for a while Elly and the kids fear he may be dead. They seek comfort in her and it seems that finally they accept her as an important part of their fathers life.

Daniel is found safe and well, but it's not long before Elly and the Windsor's are back at the hospital. This time for Tom when he begins to complain of stomach pains. After many tests Tom is diagnosed with cancer. This puts a great strain on Elly's relationship with Daniel. He shuts her out completely and matters are made worse when Toni turns against Elly and runs away from home. Elly turns to Bob for comfort and he helps get things back on track. He talks to Tom and persuades Toni to give Elly a chance. It seems to work and Elly and Daniel are re-united. Elly and Toni do get closer as Elly gives her the advice and distance that Daniel can't. With Tom on the mend after his treatment, Daniel proposes to Elly. She doesn't accept immediately as she isn't sure if she wants to remarry - she also has Claire to consider. David thinks it's a terrible idea and whilst Martha tries to talk her into marrying Daniel; David tries to talk her out of it. Elly does accept but amidst all the drama she forgets to tell Bob her happy news. When he hears it from Claire he is devastated. He has just found out he has a son; Harley, and when Elly hears his new through the grapevine she is equally upset that Bob hasn't confided in her.

Tom's condition takes a turn for the worse and it appears he may need treatment from a European hospital. The pressure tears Elly and Daniel apart when she notices he is becoming distant towards her. She becomes more suspicious when a clinic in Switzerland, who told her that Tom will face a two year wait for treatment, suddenly announce they have a place for him. When local cop Paul comments that he saw Daniel's car outside the house of new lawyer Jennifer St. James and David tells Elly that it was Jennifer who got Tom into the clinic, Elly suspects that Daniel and Jennifer are having an affair. When she confronts him, he doesn't deny things and begs her not to call off their engagement. With The Windsor's departing to Switzerland in just two days, Elly doesn't have much time to think. Despite Daniel's pleas she decides that she can't condone this behaviour in a relationship and she gives him back the ring. Elly and Daniel keep the affair a from the children. They have all grown quite fond of each other and are told Elly won't be going to Switzerland because of her heavy work load. However, Toni finds out about her fathers affair. She is very angry with him and can't understand how he could ruin his future with Elly. Toni has become close to Elly and when she decides not to follow her family abroad, Elly suggests she stay with her and Claire. So the Windsor's depart gaining Elly a surrogate daughter in Toni.

With Daniel out of the way, the gloves are off and David and Bob compete for Elly's affections. She is aware of David's feelings for her. He had known about Daniel's affair a long time before she did and he told her he couldn't tell her because he didn't want to see her hurt. She is surprised by his compassion towards her and whilst Bob is away trying to sort out his feelings for Elly, David takes full advantage of the situation. With help from Toni he plots to get Elly back, she is fooled for a while but soon sees through her ex-husband and tells him that all she wants from him is friendship. As they share a hug, Bob's plans are again foiled and he fails in telling Elly he loves her. Things go back to normal for Elly after Daniel leaves. She and Bob see more of each other and she and David continue their squabbling. The strength of Elly and Bob's friendship appears when Harley is arrested for a crime that bad boy Sonny Bennett committed.

Despite risking damage to her career, Elly acts as Harley's character witness and stands by Bob throughout the whole ordeal. When Elly books a locum so she can spend some time with Claire, her plans are scuppered when Claire goes out with her friend for the day. So with the help of Bob, she clears out her wardrobe. They start talking about their love lives and Elly asks him if he regrets the kiss they shared on the boat. He says he doesn't and as they're about to kiss once more - Claire arrives home! At this point young lovers Toni and Harley decide they want to sleep with each other. As Toni's guardian Elly is worried about the situation and it results in a full blown row with Bob. They have harsh words and say a lot of things they don't mean. They stop talking and at Abbey and Ernie's wedding they spend the day avoiding each other. A few days later and halfway through the night. A drunken David arrives on Elly's doorstep with Bob in tow. When faced with the bumbling pair - Elly demands an explanation. Bob tells her that he sent a note to the hospital asking her out for dinner. But the note got to the wrong Dr. Fielding and Bob ended up having dinner with David. He tells her how sorry is about their fight and they agree to be friends again.

When David has sobered up he nags Elly about his parents wanting to take Claire to Disneyland. She is reluctant to let Claire go. David's parents spoil her and Elly would really like to take her there herself. However, she knows she'll never be able to afford it and agrees that Claire can go. When Claire goes, Elly is really lonely and so David once again takes advantage of the situation and wines and dines her. He fails miserably and only succeeds in annoying Elly by the way he is so cocky. She decides that he must be brought down a peg or two and with the help of Ernie Patchett, she plots her plan. David has just operated on Ernie and Elly produces an x-ray to make it look like David has left an instrument inside of Ernie. With Ernie's acting and Elly's medical expertise - David appears to be fooled and tells Elly he has resigned from the hospital. She realises she has gone too far and tells David it was just a joke. He cons her into explaining the whole incident to the head of the hospital. As she does so the hospital chief looks puzzled and tells her that David has never resigned from the hospital. She is given a severe telling off and sadly it seems that David was wise to her joke all the long. Elly's humiliation goes from bad to worse in the weeks that follow when she finds a note in Claire's school bag.

Claire has nominated Elly to present a speech to the P&C committee about healthy eating. Elly is terrified of public speaking and whilst preparing for the talk she manages to get through a few bottles of wine. She ends up doing the speech well and truly drunk! She giggles and blunders her way through it and the next day she receives a summons from the medical board - for misconduct. Elly soon sobers up, this could cost her her career. She doesn't have much time to prepare for the hearing as along with Bob she spends the morning counselling a distressed couple and when she gets to the hearing they bring up the whole business of the prank she played on David. When it looks like Elly's career may be over - in comes Bob. Dressed in full vicar attire he tells the committee what a fantastic doctor Elly is and how she shouldn't be condemned for being a terrible public speaker. God's on Bob's side and Elly gets let off with a warning. Feeling truly elated - she kisses Bob, and what starts out as a friendly peck soon develops into something more. But in true Ely and Bob fashion it's a friendly kiss and she plans to get a cure for her fear of public speaking. Enter David. He thinks the way to cure Elly is by hypnosis. She thinks it's a good idea as it means she won't have to read the endless amounts of books on public speaking. But David has a trick up his sleeve and during hypnosis he tells Elly that she will fall in love with the next person to say 'bimbo.' Planning to say the magic word; he takes her out to dinner. As they get drinks at the pub they bump into Bob. Whilst David is at the bar Elly thanks Bob for his help at the medical board. He says he wasn't impressed by the way they were treating her like some sort of 'bimbo'! Elly is overcome with feeling for Bob and spends the whole evening pouring over him. On realising what has happened David tells Elly he has to put her under again, but she refuses to proceed until she has seen Bob. She invites him to her flat and they start kissing, as they are getting involved pretty quickly Bob asks Elly why the sudden change in heart. She freezes and figures out what David has done. A disheartened Bob leaves her to her plan of action and she gets David to hypnotise her once more. This time Elly stays awake and hears David as he tells her to fall in love with him - not Bob. She fools him into going to the pub and in front of everyone she tells him what a creep he his and how he embarrassed her in front of ` a very dear friend`. David is humiliated and Elly is definitely cured of her a fear of public speaking!

When Elly goes out with Dermot, who works in the video store and who is also younger than her; David interferes once more telling Elly that she is making a fool out of herself. Dermot is nice and whilst Bob baby-sits Claire; Elly enjoys a nice evening out. However, when Dermot comes on a bit strong she asks Bob for his help in getting rid of him. She asks Bob if he can pretend that he is in love with her so that Dermot will only see himself and Elly as friends. Bob 'pretends' and Dermot gets the message, Elly later tells Bob that he was so convincing even she thought he meant it. It is clear that Elly is actually completely naive when it comes to Bob's feelings about her. Not so naive when it comes to David. She is now sick of his badgering and tells him to leave her alone as there is no way that they will ever get back together. She is surprised to find out how much of an affect her words had on David and is shocked when he later leaves Westside to go on a long holiday!

Meanwhile the residents of E STREET wake up to how Bob really feels about Elly and they all contribute to the matchmaking. As Sonny Bennett reaps havoc on Westside, Bob is at the centre of his hate campaign and it is apparent how much Sonny wants revenge on him when Abbey, Chris and Megan are killed in a bomb meant for him. Elly is worried for Bob's safety especially when he decides he is going to go and find Sonny to settle the score. Elly tries to talk him out of it but he is adamant - forcing her to go with him. Back at her surgery Bob tells her he doesn't think she should go with him, but she is a stubborn as he is - forcing Bob to make a confession. He finally tells Elly that he is in love with her and that he has been for a long time. She says that's good because she thinks she is in love with too. Although their kiss is interrupted again, it's the one we've all been waiting for as Elly and Bob are finally aware of each others feelings. When they see Sonny, Elly watches as he and Bob have a discussion about what Sonny has done. Sonny decides to take his own life and jumps from the high scaffolding. He is dead. Elly is quite shaken up and as they approach her car Bob says he'll drive. As she opens the passenger door she triggers a gunshot and falls to the floor. Sonny's final attempt to get Bob had failed again, this time shooting the woman he loves.

Elly is rushed to hospital in a bad way. As Bob, Claire, Martha, Toni and Harley wait for news, Elly undergoes surgery. They remove the pellet but the surgeon, Dr. Franklin is unsure what damage has been done to Elly's nervous system. She tells Bob & co. that she has done all she can do and the rest is up to Elly. Dr. Franklin also tells Bob that there is a chance that Elly might not pull through. Bob sits by her bedside day after day, night after night and just talks to her. It finally pays off when Elly's eyes flicker and starts to breath for herself. After the doctors have performed some routine tests, Bob - worried that Elly may have forgotten what he told her before the accident - again tells Elly that he loves her. As she squeezes his hand, it is clear that Elly remembers everything that he told her and that she feels the same. So Bob heads home for a well earned sleep and drives Claire to her grandparents house. While he is gone, Elly has a relapse and has to be operated on again. She appears worse than ever, her hair has been partly shaven and her face is heavily bruised. As Bob takes her hand, David arrives at Elly's side. He has just returned from his holiday and assures Bob that he will now be looking after Elly. War starts here and Elly is thrown into the middle of a love triangle. She wakes up from her coma and as David sits by her side she simply says 'Bob'. But it's not enough and when Bob tackles her about events before the accident it's clear that she can't remember anything of what he told her. Tests reveal that Elly has full right side paralysis. She can't walk, use her right arm and she doesn't have a full grip on her vocabulary. She is frustrated and she loses hope of ever regaining her former self. To shock her back to reality, Bob shouts at her. He is not being cruel or nasty, but simply acting for Elly's own good. With her best friend calling her a coward, Elly faces the future and discharges herself from the hospital. However, she's not happy when Bob arrives to pick her up. She is angry with him and feels hurt by what he said to her. As he carries her into her flat, he sits her down and tells her he is in love with her. He says he knows she may have forgotten but wants to make it clear that he still loves her.

Elly is confused and for the next few weeks is placed in emotional hell. Whilst trying to regain use of her right side, she also has to deal with Bob and David - competing for her affections. As she doesn't feel she can give Bob what he wants he drifts away from her, while David becomes closer to her. Pretty soon, David takes sole charge of Elly's life and Bob steps out of it. After Elly has a bad day, David showers her with gifts and while she is bed, they kiss. Claire walks in on them the next morning and is surprised to see them in the same bed. It is all innocent - on Elly's behalf - but Claire is confused and she and Toni tell Harley who then tells Bob. Lashing out in anger and full of whisky, Bob goes to Elly's flat and knocks out David! She is not impressed when she finds out and tells Bob to stay away from her until she is clear about her feelings. With Bob out of the picture, David wastes no time in winning back Elly and as she finally gets better and returns to work, he books a holiday for Elly and Claire, with him as a bonus guest. Before she can leave, Harley begs her to talk to Bob. He tells her that Bob is leaving Westside and the church because he can't handle being in love with her. She goes to see him but she can't talk him around. So Elly heads home, sad and guilty. David arrives with yet another dinner and she asks him to leave. She says she is upset that Bob is leaving and regrets the fact that they are no longer best friends. David leaves and as she is washing the dishes Bob bursts into the flat. Whilst Claire, Toni and Harley hide behind the door, Bob grabs Elly and kisses her. In shock she pulls away - then she kisses him! Finally, after years of waiting Elly and Bob are together.

As in love as she is with Bob, Elly finds it hard to tell David that she won't be going on holiday with him, nor will she be getting back together with. He takes it surprisingly well and gives Elly the holiday tickets for she and Bob. Elly and Bob have a good time away together, it gives them a proper chance to talk about what has happened and they laugh about how long it took them to get together. There's also the fact that on this holiday is the first time they sleep together. Elly arrives to a bad homecoming as Toni announces she is pregnant and she and Harley have split up. Elly acts as Toni's mother but feels terribly guilty about the whole thing and she gets an earful when she phones Daniel to tell him he's going to be a grandfather. Toni and Harley's split has an affect on Elly and Bob as they find themselves caught in the middle of it all - especially when Toni loses the baby. As long term happiness looms on Elly there is of course a setback. Bob's parishioners don not approve. They see Elly as the scarlet woman and the fact that she is a divorcee doesn't help matters. Bob finds a solution and proposes to Elly. She's shocked and dreams up many excuses as to why she can't marry him - but there isn't one, and after Claire's approval she accepts. Wedding preparations get under way and the ceremony is booked to take place in just 5 weeks! The residents of E STREET are thrilled but the bishop isn't. After days of his constant harassment, Bob tells Elly he is going to leave the church for her. She is not happy. She doesn't think this is the right thing to do and is scared that he may end up resenting her for it. Her please fall on deaf ears and Elly stands in the middle of the aisle as Bob confesses his love for her in front of a packed congregation. Elly is happy, she is worried about Bob finding a job but she is happy. Her old friend Virginia comes to stay and Bob picks up work within the day of being unemployed. As Elly and Ginny catch up on the old times, Bob finds a child under the basement of his new boss. The child, Dylan, has been there for years and his bond with Bob is apparent. In the weeks that follow, things go from bad to worse. Bob takes Dylan under his wing and spends less and less time with Elly. She understands up to a point, but when Dylan attacks her with a pair of scissors she realises something is wrong. As Elly and Bob`s engagement party is taking place, Harley arrives with the news that Bob has been arrested on a charge of murder. When Elly arrives at the police station, Bob won't talk to her and straight away she knows what has happened. She realises that Bob is taking the blame for Dylan - who has killed his father. For Elly the following days are a nightmare as she makes endless pleas to Bob to tell the police the truth. When he gets moved to another jail, it's time for her to face the facts. Bob is going to go to jail and if he wanted to marry her then he wouldn't be taking the blame for something he didn't do. Meanwhile David is packing his bags, he is going to run Virginias practice in Melbourne while she stays with Elly. As he says his goodbyes, Elly drops a bombshell and announces that she and Claire will be going with him. As they drive out of Westside they stop off at the prison. Elly tells Bob that she is leaving and says that it doesn't matter how much he loves her. What does matter is if he wants to spend the rest of his life with her, marry her, and she says she doesn't think he does. She tells him that if she is wrong then she'll stay. With that Bob says `I love you Elly`, kisses her on the cheek before leaving the cell. Elly slumps on the chair in tears and then walks out of Westside, out of E STREET and out of Bob's life. She later goes to Bangladesh with David before returning to E STREET - well kind off. As we all know Penny Cook didn't return to her role as Elly and Diane Craig carried on Elly's story. For many of us Penny represented a huge chunk of E Street's history. The leading lady, in every sense. We missed her.