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Myra Desmond (Anne Phelan)

Full name: Myra June Desmond. First introduced as a PRG representative who visits Wentworth in (154) to see Chrissie to try to help her just before Elizabeth is due to be taken away from her at one year old. She isn't actually much help and advises Chrissie that Elizabeth will probably be fostered out. When Myra arrives in reception, she is recognised by Vera and it is established that Myra had been in Wenwtorth three years previously, though Doreen shows no sign of recognising her when they meet later in the episode. Myra also mentions she has just bought a bookshop with her husband's "insurance". Presumably we are supposed to think that Myra is recently widowed, though she has a husband and family later in the series.

Myra next appears in (223)-(224), when she looks after Alison Page's children when her husband Don has an accident at work.

She is next seen advising on the print shop project (273)-(274).

The writers must have felt the character was well enough established that they could just refer to her by name without having her appear: there are mentions of her in (293) (setting up of the first Driscoll House), (318) (benefit concert for the house) and (393).

Judy recommends her to take over Driscoll House after Alice Dodds has a nervous breakdown, and she goes to investigate the problems in (429) only to turn Judy down because of family problems. Kills her husband and is imprisoned.

Becomes top dog.

Escapes during fete to see her daughter Kay comes off drugs.

On her return, she falls out with Judy for leaving the woman in the lurch and she loses some support when she shows a tendency to bash first and ask questions later, especially for the job she does on Bobbie (492).

She steps down as top dog naming Reb Keane as her successor (502) but arranges for Reb to be discredited when she finds she is peddling drugs. Takes over again when Reb is sent to Blackmoor (506).

When the male prisoners are transferred from Woodridge, Myra is initially hostile to them, especailly Geoff, but she ends up having an affair with him. The scenes of Geoff and Myra in bed togther are remembered by Prisoner fans as particularly gruesome.

Attempt to kill her by Lou Kelly during her 40th birthday party (521) but Sam Greenway dies instead when she touches the doorknob connected to the electricity supply.

Attempt to frame Joan, lagged on by Anita Selby (535).

Battles with Ruth Ballinger, ending with Myra's death at the hands of the terrorists who are hired to break Ruth out of Wentworth (552)


Updated 16 May 1999

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