Adam has left the force, and Mt. Thomas, and Probationary Constable Jack Lawson has barely arrived in Mt. Thomas before he is in trouble with the police. Jack's misdemeanours are small ones and quickly forgiven as his unassuming charm disarms Maggie and Dash. Even Tom can't find fault with the new recruit, whose initiative and enthusiasm for menial tasks prove an immediate asset. But Jack's sunny welcome to Mt. Thomas is clouded by a report of sexual assault at the local retirement home. This on
After her attack, Maggie refuses to play victim as PJ and Ben battle to unmask the devil. Maggie recovers from the assault by the devil who has the women of Mt. Thomas terrified. Always the copper, Maggie refuses to be treated like a victim but she's got her work cut out for her with PJ and Ben fighting to protect this reluctant damsel in distress. PJ and Ben's theory on a prime suspect collapses when a witness leads them to the local reverend who runs a group for troubled men. They are certain
Jack is the only competition for Dash and her athletic brother, Alec, in the Heritage Day Races, and the McKinleys aren't about to let a boy from the bush swallow their odds. The Heelers lay their bets on Jack, which only spurs Dash on. Alec has returned to Mt. Thomas as the new physical education teacher with high hopes of coaching the girls' hockey team and his two best players to stardom. For Alec the game is to win, at any cost. Dash is proud of her big brother but at a loss to defend him wh
Maggie and PJ are caught in the crossfire of a jealous husband spying on his wife and her lover at Govet's Leap. Determined to expose the philandering louse, the husband takes a video tape of them before settling the score with his fists. PJ springs to the defence—but who's going to defend him, when the tape submitted for evidence exposes Maggie and PJ canoodling? The Boss won't have a bar of this. Their jobs and their relationship are on the line. Dash is having her own clandestine affair on
While checking out a routine disturbance, Dash and Jack witness a freak double fatality involving two popular young locals. Dash's upset turns to anger when she discovers the car accident was caused by a boy with a crush on one of the victims. Between Dash's fury and the victim's distraught brother, he'll be lucky to walk away with just his crash injuries. Jack sees a different side to the culprit, who is a country boy like himself and appears genuinely distressed. The only way Jack can deal wit
Cupid comes to Mt. Thomas in the form of Ben's mischievous daughter, Emma. Dressed in a fairy costume and armed with magic dust, Emma's wish on this visit is to find her dad a new wife… and Maggie is the fairy godmother of her dreams. Police work and parenting without a babysitter are an impossible combination in the busy Mt. Thomas station. While Emma schemes and tiny Josh adds to his vocabulary of naughty words, Maddy watches silently and sullenly. That's one troubled little girl. Jack is al
After a vicious attack on an elderly woman, Jack runs down a prime suspect near the crime scene and he's one nasty piece of work. Cocky, confident and preying on vulnerable women, Troy is the kind of gutless crim who enjoys the sport of making a cop's blood boil. He is an antagonist who intends to wind PJ up like a taut guitar string. With scant evidence and Sally Downie as his legal advisor, the Heelers are going to have a hard time nabbing Troy. Their only hope of an ally is his hapless girlfr
Seeds of a greener lifestyle are planted in Mt. Thomas. Councillor Chris Riley has concerns about a proposal for an abattoire by the river but the locals won't hear of any opposition. They need jobs for their kids—forget environmental concerns! The Heelers can't ignore the matter when the pub's beer delivery is smashed by some dangerous stunt driving that nearly takes Jack out as well. When Tom's ex-army and retired policeman buddy, Bob, decides to grow organic herbs, his crop-spraying neighbo
Out alone on a routine call, Jack confronts a dangerous driver who threatens him with what Jack thinks is a sawn-off shotgun. Jack panics and shoots. No one is hurt; however, the driver—a local troublemaker—plans to play the situation for all it is worth. He cries attempted murder, and claims Jack has also stolen some money from his glove box. He doesn't like the ""pigs""—""always harrasin' somebody"". Inspector Falcon Price arrives to conduct a full investigation and is greeted by a fine
Out alone on a routine call, Jack confronts a dangerous driver who threatens him with what Jack thinks is a sawn-off shotgun. Jack panics and shoots. No one is hurt; however, the driver—a local troublemaker—plans to play the situation for all it is worth. He cries attempted murder, and claims Jack has also stolen some money from his glove box. He doesn't like the ""pigs""—""always harrasin' somebody"". Inspector Falcon Price arrives to conduct a full investigation and is greeted by a fine
Ben becomes the knight in shining armour for a victim of domestic violence after she misconstrues his offers of support for affection. While Ben is blind to Vanessa's growing attraction, Dash and Tom try to warn him of the danger of caring beyond the call of duty. As Vanessa preys on Ben's responsiveness to her calls for help, Ben's professional boundaries invade his private life. His wife, Rachel, arrives in town unexpectedly, seeking a reconciliation. She quickly finds that little has changed:
The Heelers call a full-scale investigation when Maggie goes missing after delving into the drug ring that killed her brother Robbie. Warned against trying to break the syndicate, Maggie refused to listen. Now she is in real danger. PJ's fears for Maggie's safety escalate when the body of a young boy is found. They learn he had hoped to become the syndicate's local dealer and had made contact with Maggie. Overwrought, PJ blames Ben for giving Maggie the leads to investigate the ring. The tension
Jack scores a place on the Mudlarks football team when its star player is killed in a suspicious road accident. It's not quite the way he planned to earn his guernsey. PJ recalls the dead boy was a troublemaker and suspects he was drunk at the time. However, Senior Constable Robyn Taylor from Melbourne's accident investigation squad has sharper ideas and gives PJ a run for his money on the investigation. He's feeling pretty poorly without Maggie around. Whether PJ likes it or not, Robyn will be
Dash's career prospects look bright when Inspector Monica Draper arrives for the monthly inspection and recommends she undertake the CIB training program. A McKinley as a detective? Tom has his doubts, and PJ takes Dash on board with reluctant good grace. Dash's first case presses her to overlook good character when $10,000 goes missing from the local Catholic school's safe. The only suspects are the school's new principal, Deborah Williams, and Father Brian. As Dash and PJ investigate, it becom
When Jack and Dash are called out to the local high school, Jack becomes the victim of a schoolgirl prank. It seems that some of the girls have a large crush on Mt. Thomas's most handsome constable. Determined to make more than his professional acquaintance, the girls misconstrue Jack's awkward attempts to fend them off as the shy response of a sincere copper. Unluckily for Jack, he's even more adorable than they imagined. While PJ and Ben enjoy ribbing the new ""Don Juan"" of Mt. Thomas, the
Written by Jenny Lewis, Directed by Grant Brown Seven a.m. The phone rings. One by one the Heelers receive a devastating wake-up call. One of their own lies shot dead on a country road. Half an hour earlier, Constable Greg Mason took a bullet through the head. By the looks of the crime scene, he never had a chance. It is a crisp day and Jack enjoys an early morning horse ride until he finds Greg sprawled across the front seat of his vehicle, gun safely in its holster and the letters P.E. penne
Jack's deer hunting plans go happily awry when his girlfriend arrives unexpectedly in Mt. Thomas with his cousin. Jack and Craig have made plans to go hunting but Molly has come as a surprise. Since Jack left Molly behind in Swift's Creek, the long-distance relationship has taken its toll on her. Jack doesn't realise this yet, but he's about to find out. As deer season arrives, the Heelers go on alert. The blood sport always brings a squadron of men to town with an armoury of weapons. It seems i
The Heelers provide protection for the local vet, who orders inspections of all sheep properties after an outbreak of a highly infectious disease. Johne's disease threatens to kill every sheep in Mt. Thomas, and ""Dr Death""—as the vet becomes known—is not popular. Farmers demand a scapegoat as they succumb to the inspections. Somebody must be responsible for carrying this blight to the district, and the only new sheep in town belong to Senior Constable Robyn Taylor. Robyn, with her husb
Paternal instincts and police work conflict for Ben when he is drawn to a sick girl and a hardworking father in trouble. Rosie needs a new kidney and time is running out. When George's car is stolen, Ben offers them a lift to hospital for her weekly treatment. The problem is, George's car was used in an armed robbery. Ben hopes, for Rosie's sake, that her father was not involved. PJ is distracted from the investigation when Maggie returns from six weeks in the safety house program. After the r
Tom and Sally's relationship goes on trial when Sally defends a drunk driver responsible for killing Tom's friend.
Tom's day brightens when he learns his favourite actress is in town visiting relatives. A woman to be reckoned with, Audrey Roper wastes no time in introducing herself to Mt. Thomas's most senior police member. Tom is chuffed to make Audrey's acquaintance as she as she demands he reprimand and punish her 17-year-old grand-daughter for buying cigarettes. The Heelers are policing a crackdown on under-age smoking in conjunction with the council. Dissatisfied with their progress, the militant Audrey
Dash treads a thin line when social worker Tim Ryan convinces her the overloaded welfare system can no longer protect abused children. The Heelers and Department of Human Services take a dim view of Tim's attitude. His obvious frustration in applying band-aid solutions to violent domestic situations is bound to lead to trouble. Trouble begins when Dash arrives to break up a violent argument between old family friends. The father appears to be strangling his son, who retaliates by stabbing him.
For months Dash has shadowed PJ on the job to prove she is worthy detective material, and her efforts are rewarded when she makes the short list for a job in Criminal Investigation in Melbourne. Dash is hurt to learn that, while Tom supports her endeavours, he does not believe she is ready for the job. PJ certainly never took her seriously. At least her mother, Beth, believes in her and accompanies Dash to Melbourne for the final interview and a spot of shopping. They have a close relationship
An overnight trip to Melbourne turns stormy for Maggie and Chris when they stumble into an armed holdup at a service station. Prison escapees, the McKenzie brothers, are on the run when they confront Chris paying for petrol with Maggie's purse. Maggie returns from the bathroom and manages to raise the alarm but receives a bashing for her trouble. Tyrone starts to squeeze the trigger as the Heelers arrive, raised by the alarm. Maggie is overwhelmed with guilt and blames herself for the incident
Maddie's school fees are due, she needs a new flute and Ben's pay cheque falls short. As Ben's ex-wife begins her new life with another man, Ben feels doubly under pressure to fulfil his duties as a father and provider for his children. Aware of his financial problems, the Heelers become concerned when Ben shows interest in a pyramid game that has surfaced in Mt. Thomas. Leila Clegg has won $16,000 on the Angel Cruise and the citizens of Mt. Thomas are keen to clamber aboard the next ship to s
Tom can't believe his eyes when his old mate Max Arnold arrives at the bank with a hefty cheque written on the side of a cow. It's legal tender, snorts Max, and if the bank is so determined to milk him for mortgage payments, well let them learn how—milk this! Country life has changed. There was a time when a bank manager would cut some slack to catch up on a missed payment. Not any more. Tom goes to see bank manager Kevin Sutton to discuss Max's difficulty but Sutton remains steadfast. Tom
Ben becomes the victim of anti-gay slurs when his hairdresser friend, Tony, arrives in town. Prejudice builds however, when Tony's popularity wilts the opposition and happy clients confide their closest secrets to him. Someone it seems, confided too much, and Ben finds Tony dead in the salon stabbed in the neck with a pair of scissors.
Trouble magnet, Constable Jo Parrish, lands in Mt. Thomas, provoking both a civil suit and a stalker.
Jo oversteps the line when she protects a charming gypsy who operates on the wrong side of the law.
Maggie threatens her career when she charges a pro-police politician with assault.