List of Home and Away characters introduced in 2003

Vivienne "The Guv" Standish, played by Maggie Kirkpatrick, made her first appearance on 11 November and departed on 2 November 2004. Kirkpatrick previously guested in the serial in 1991 as Jean Chambers. Viv was introduced as part of Dani Sutherland's (Tammin Sursok) storyline involving her imprisonment for the attempted murder of Kane Phillips (Sam Atwell). Filming took place at the old Maitland Gaol.

Prior to both stints on the serial, Kirkpatrick was best known for her role as prison warder Joan "The Freak" Ferguson on the Australian soap ''Prisoner: Cell Block H''. "It's been 17 years since Prisoner finished and I've not played any role that was remotely like a prison person in all that time," Kirkpatrick said in an Interview with the ''Sun Herald''. "And now here I am back behind bars." She told Scott Ellis about her character, "She's a legal person who's been wrongfully incarcerated, She was a magistrate in the children's court who uncovered in her line of work a pedophile ring - stop me if you heard this before - consisting of judges, lawyers and politicians. When she tried to expose them, they set her up and she's in jail." She then described Viv as "tough" but "brains, not brawn". Kirkpatrick expressed a desire to return to the role; "I'm angling to come back, I'd love them to have me back!".

Viv appears when Dani is incarcerated for running over Kane. She initially intimidates Dani but begins to like her and nicknames her "princess" and feels that she does not belong in prison. After Dani is caught in the middle of an escape attempt, her chances of appeal seem all but lost. However, Viv puts pressure on the real culprits to keep Dani's name out of it and Dani is eventually released. Viv and Dani keep in contact and Dani mentions Felix Walters (Josh Lawson) has been stalking her and making her life hell. Felix is hospitalized after someone hits him over the head with a baseball bat and Dani quickly works out Viv ordered the attack on Felix, which she admits. As a result, her sentence is extended.

Some months later, Viv sends Dani a visiting order but her father, Rhys (Michael Beckley) goes in her place and returns with shocking news, Viv's heart is failing and she is dying. When Dani visits again, Viv tells her she has been working on her autobiography which she wants Dani to publish. Dani takes her up on the offer but the manuscript is destroyed in a kiosk fire caused by Ric Dalby (Mark Furze) and Wazza Stevens (Israel Cannan). After helping reconstruct Viv's notes, Dani campaigns to get Viv an early release on compassionate ground and enlists the help of Morag Bellingham (Cornelia Frances), who is shocked when she recognises Viv's name. It transpires that Viv was in a relationship with Morag's brother, Alf Stewart (Ray Meagher) when they were teenagers and their families disapproved. Alf proposed but Viv never returned. Alf meets up with Viv again and they have an emotional reunion. Morag arranges for Viv to be let out on Day release, where she spends her final hours with Alf and reveals that she had become pregnant with his child and subsequently adopted the baby out to a childless couple, Marion and Marianne Dalby who lived in Yabbie Creek. Alf forgives her and she dies in his arms peacefully. It is soon revealed that Alf and Viv's son was Owen Dalby who later died of a heart attack during a fight with his son, Ric. Provided by Wikipedia