 Ada
Nicodemou: Leah Poulos
Ada was born on the 14th of May, 1977.
As a kid, Ada went through phases but
says that she always wanted to be famous and successful in whatever she
did.
She joined the 'Johnny Young Talent school'
and a dance show group called 'Kid's Unlimited'. It was after joining these
groups that she decided to get an agent, who actually spotted her.
Her first break in television at 13 years
of age, funnily enough, was on Home and Away. Unfortunately she missed
out on a role that went to Laura Vasquez. She did however do some 'extra'
work on the show, which gave her the opportunity to see the behind-the-scenes
workings of a television series
"I remember watching Home and Away and
I really wanted to join the show. Mum drove me to the auditions and there
were so many girls there. I did go for a role, but missed out. I was very
happy for Laura but do remember having to sit behind her in the classroom
as an extra and wishing I was in her spot. So now that I am here, I really
feel like I have gone the full circle and am back where I belong", she
says.
At 15, she auditioned for a new show called
Heartbreak High and in March of the following year when she was about to
turn 16, they called her in for a 12 week guest stint. This short stint
turned into a 3 year role where she played a character called Katarina.
During this time, Ada also had a role
on Police Rescue, as she had agreed take up a role on the show before she
was asked to become a regular on Heartbreak High.
Ada promised herself, when taking up the
role on Heartbreak High, that she would complete her studies. Ada decided
to study by correspondence in her last year of High School (Year 12), and
balanced the two- studying scripts with studying for her final exams.
At 19, Ada studied Tourism at Tafe, where
she had to organize events for clients and product placement.
In July 1999, at 21 years of age, she
returned to television and took up the role as Fiona in Breakers. She then
took a short break from the show to do a cameo role in the film, Matrix,
(1998) starring Keanu Reaves.
More recently, in late 1999, she flew
up to the Gold Coast to take up a role in the American television show
Beast Masters, where she played a water nymph.
After that role, she joined Home and Away,
which she was really looking forward to.
"I was basically making up for lost time,
I have wanted to be apart of this production for a long time and I love
being with the show", she says.
Ada lives at home with her family which
consists of her mum, dad and younger brother.
In her spare time she likes going to the
movies and spending time with friends, dancing and keeping fit by enjoying
the great outdoors and walking everywhere.
One thing that does distinguish her from
her character is that she not a cook.
"I am about the worst cook in the world.
Mum has always done the cooking and she is brilliant so I have always left
it up to her, but hopefully I may pick up a couple of tips
through Leah," she says.
 Kylie
Watson: Shauna Bradley
Kylie was born in Sydney on the 7th of
May, 1978. Kylie joined Home and Away as Shauna Bradley, Summer Bay's
first resident lifesaver.
She has always had a passion for acting,
studying drama at school and participating in her school's rock eisteddfods,
but it is was her modelling that took off.
Kylie signed with a modelling agency when
she was 14 and then signed with Charles Gordon after a chance meeting with
him.
It was at this age that she won an acting
course with Gala Productions, a course that fellow Home and Away cast member
Kristy Wright won as well. This was the first time the two had met, and
bumping into each other again on the set of Home and Away was a surreal
experience for Kylie.
'Meeting up with Kristy again was great.
It was so weird to think that when we were 14 we were both just starting
out and so much has happened to us in that time. But ending up on the same
show is a real blast,' she says.
It was through her modelling that she
was able to travel around the world. She went to Korea at 16 for a two-month
contract shooting for catalogues and commercials. This was her first trip
alone overseas, and Kylie says of her experience,
'I learned a lot and it certainly opened
up my mind. I must admit that it was frightening being the youngest of
the models, but I certainly did grow up.'
At 17, Kylie represented Australia in
the Miss International Beauty Pageant in Japan, where she finished in the
top 10. Kylie was also asked to represent Australia in the Miss Asia Pacific,
in the Philippines.
After a two-month modelling contract in
Taiwan, Kylie graduated from high school and then moved up to Sydney when
she was 17, with the purpose of pursuing her career in modelling and acting.
She went to castings and auditions and
finally a role came her way- the role as Shauna Bradley in Home and Away,
Kylie's first television role.
'I always hoped to be on Home and Away.
I have grown up watching the show and have been a loyal fan – I remember
when Kate Ritchie was only 10. It is a goal that I have set out to achieve
and it is a dream come true, I am so happy,' she says.
Kylie did as much research as she could
on her role as a lifesaver – the first resident lifesaver at Summer Bay!
She observed lifesavers and interviewed them and watched triathlons.
'Lifesaving has completely foreign to
me, so I did my best to research for the role as much as I could,' she
says.
Kylie plays Shauna Bradley, a 24-year-old
lifesaver who has always had a passion of the profession from an early
age. She started as a 'nipper' when she was five, showing natural skill
and ability, which led to her participating in junior lifesaving championships
over a number of years. Shauna now holds a top 10 position in the professional
lifesaving circuit, but when she comes to Summer Bay her qualifications
don't seem to matter, as she has to prove herself to the surf club president
– none other than Alf (Ray Meagher).
Shauna comes to the Bay looking for a
change of scenery, and the fact that she had problems with her flatmate
gave her the motivation to move out.
'I am so impressed by my character, Shauna.
She is a little different to me; for starters she is 24 years of age –
just a little older than me – and she is great with confrontation. I know
she will teach me a lot about myself,' she says.
'She is very strong and likeable; she
stands up for what she believes in, which is admirable, but at the same
time she has an affectionate side.'
Kylie first appeared as Shauna Bradley
in Home and Away on the 16th of August 1999.
 Kate
Ritchie: Sally Fletcher
Kate Ritchie was born on August 14, 1978,
in Goulburn, NSW.
She filmed the pilot of the show in 1987
and has been in the series ever since playing the role of Sally Fletcher.
Before then she had couple of other acting
jobs including a role in the mini-series Cyclone Tracy.
Kate has combined her long-term role on
Home and Away with her education, having completed the HSC in 1997. Kate
studied through a program called Pathways, that allowed her to study for
the HSC over three years, so she could continue her role on
Home and Away. In 1996, Kate did her HSC
exams in English, Maths and Textiles and Designs. In 1997 she did her HSC
exams in Business Studies and Drama and was very pleased with her overall
result.
On finishing her studies, Kate says,
'It was hard to combine both school and
working on Home and Away, but it was something I felt I had to do for myself.
It can allow me to take different avenues if need be. I am glad it is all
over now, so I can finally use all my energy on Home and Away.'
Kate enjoys going to the beach, watching
videos and trying to go and see the latest movies, when she gets time.
She's also working on getting her scuba diving certificate.
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