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 becomes clear that both principal and priest have opportunity, means and motive to steal the money. Dash's faith in authority figures waivers as she pressures suspects with unshakeable profiles within the Mt. Thomas community. The scales tip in Father Brian's favour when the Heelers learn that the financially strapped Deborah is also being blackmailed—ten grand or her career is over. How would St. Brigid's Catholic School like to know it has a lesbian as its principal? Trapped and looking guilty, Deb

Tom tries to keep his mind on the job after becoming interested in a mysterious woman. When two houses are broken into and large sums of money are left on both kitchen tables, the Heelers are left wondering. Were they gifts or proceeds from a robbery? They find the man responsible and he claims he is seeking atonement by doing God's work. He says he is honest but PJ suspects he's been guilty of fraud. The man's request for spiritual advice leads Tom to a surprise - the new Anglican Minister Grace Curtis is Tom's mystery woman. The man with the mission disappears and his car is set on fire. Was it an act of revenge or a desperate act by someone close to him? Can Tom and the Reverend help him before his determined acts of generosity cost him his life and the happiness of his family?

Things are going much better now for Tess and Hayley, until an incident at school provides Tess with something to worry about while Tom and Reverend Grace grow closer.

Meanwhile Tom suspects a retired thief guilty of burglary until he is questioned and the old man claims he was set up. The Heelers have a lead on another suspect and their hunt leads them to two teenage boys. One is the estranged son of the retired thief. Is he following in his father's footsteps? When a second robbery occurs involving a serious assault, the old man defends his son's innocence. He might not be the world's greatest father, but he's positive his son is not violent. When the Heelers locate their original suspect they discover has a watertight alibi. Does he have a hold over the retired thief's son? Tom worries for the old man's safety when he is discovered assaulted and his son cannot be found. Can the desire to protect and impress go too far?

The Heelers suspect a local horse trainer of assaulting and robbing a bookie. Jo becomes intrigued when she discovers a page torn from a diary after questioning the trainer's strapper, stable hand and assistant jockey. The writing is troubled and Jo is concerned that it is a cry for help. Jo discovers the diary belongs to the young stable hand. Has someone been hurting him and why won't he say? When the trainer is found bashed and the stable hand is missing, Jo worries he has finally fought back. The trainer dies and the stable hand is convinced he is responsible. Jo is determined to prove his innocence. Were the bookie and the trainer assaulted by the same person? Can Jo help the young stable hand find the strength to speak out?

Tom is dragged to see a touring faith healer but his scepticism turns to concern when the healer is attacked by a man accusing him of killing his wife. Is the healer a fraud? Jo questions him and is surprised to find that he is far from shrewd. His manager, once healed by him herself, is incredibly protective of him and takes care of the business with the help of a roadie. The manager is beside herself when Jo finds the healer violently assaulted. Is this the revenge of the grieving man? Did he and the roadie engineer this together? As Jo witnesses the darker side of faith she marvels at the healer's capacity for forgiveness

Ben is desperate to spend Christmas with his children provided he wins the lottery in order to pay their airfare. Tom wins the church raffle but the prize is stolen. The cast of Grace's nativity pageant are suspects. Tom is far from impressed when the sponsor of the pageant forces Clancy, an intellectually disabled man, out of the lead role so his own son can take it. Everyone is thrilled when Clancy is revealed as the owner of the winning lottery ticket, but the pageant sponsor accuses him of theft. As the truth is pieced together, Ben revaluates the demands he has placed on his children. Is Ben's dogged pursuit of the perfect Christmas risking the happiness of those he loves?

For a cop, Christmas can be the hardest time of the year. Jo can't wait to eat, drink and be merry with her nearest and dearest. Tess is determined that Hayley has her best Christmas ever.

Tess worries for Hayley's safety when one of the girl's new friends is accused of attacking a girl at school. Tom's daughter, Susan, who has just moved back to Mt Thomas, teaches the accused boy and has faith in his innocence. When it is discovered that the boy has killed his classmate 2 years before, opinion is divided. He was too young to be charged, but could he snap again!? When the boy's father arrives in town, it sets off a chain of events that put Tom and Susan's life in danger

Tom discovers his daughter is pregnant when she becomes the victim of a hit and run. The accident leaves her unconscious and internally injured and Tom is faced with a terrible dilemma. If he saves his daughter's child he risks losing his own. Would Susan forgive him? Could Tom forgive himself? As Tom seeks justice, Tess fights for Hayley's love. Hayley's mother's prison release draws near as Tess struggles to understand why Hayley is pushing her away. Tom and Tess risk losing the people they love in their desire to protect them.

At the end of the day, Tom gets to keep Susan but loses her daughter, and Tess ulitmately loses Hayley to the girl's family.

The police are invited to an old-time charity dance. Ben takes a St. Davids Officer, Shelley Piper. However her separated husband, Peter Baynes, a sergeant and Inspector Falcon-Price's ""golden boy"" believes he has ownership of his ex-wife and, when he is very drunk, starts a fight with Ben. Tom and Falcon-Price find Ben in the toilets having just punched Baynes.

Falcon-Price naturally believes Baynes and Ben knows that his past history of violence (e.g. when he punched an officer and got demoted) is not working in his favour. Baynes agrees to not press charges but Ben knows that Falcon-Price thinks he should be suspended. Tom, Jo and the rest believe Ben however, who says he was just defending himself. Shelley tells Ben that all Baynes wants is to continously be seen as the good guy in the Inspector's eyes.

Ben discovers that Baynes may have a psychological problem. He often parks outside the house Shelley lives in with her father for hours, or spies on her. Ben asks Shelley to call hi

Sam Baxter, a troubled 15 year old girl, is found breaking in to her mother's store. Her mother, who is tired of this, wants her to be charged. Jo thinks she just wants attention and begins to believe everything Sam says, including that it is her parent's fault. Her criminal father arrives in town and her mother doesn't want anything to do with him but Sam likes him.

Instead of being charged, Sam is let off with a warning and has to help an elderly member of Grace's parish, Olive Hemmings, with her housework. Surprisingly the two hit it off and Jo's faith in the girl is restored. But when Olive doesn't turn up at church, she is found bleeding in her house. Someone broke in and stole $2000. A young female called the ambulance and they soon find out it is Sam, staying at her adult boyfriend's house. Sam pushed her over cause she was ""in the way"". Her mother is sure she is ending up like her father. Jo can't believe that the girl she trusted did this.

Meanwhile, Jo's parents arrive in tow

There is celebration in Mt. Thomas as Tom gets a service medal for 30 years in the force. But the celebrations are marred when a young Aboriginal woman injures Grace and claims Tom stole her from her family as a child. The Heelers soon discover that when Tom was new to the force, in 1973, he was involved in helping the government remove some Aboriginal children from their families. Where he lived as a child, out near Lake End Mission, was the scene of his removing Kim Cook and her two brothers from their violent father. Kim's life was destroyed in foster homes and her brothers both died (one of drugs and one of suicide). Tess, Evan and PJ stand by the boss but Jo believes it is more his fault for taking the children.

Meanwhile, Chris believes Kim is responsible for stealing some money at the pub that the town had pooled to buy Tom an antique mirror for his 30 years. Kim denies it and her alibi seems to check out, but when they discover she has a boy in the room with her, they think he

An aspiring ballerina is injured in a car crash and Jo seeks justice. However, the young driver of the other car, who is also wanted on theft, is determined to go free and not have a blemish on his reputation as he is studying law.

Ben's lawyer sister Liz arrives in town for a case and he asks her to stay with he and PJ. She is soon roped in to defending young Robbie Hart, the driver. PJ is shocked to discover Benny Matthews O.D'd in a nightclub, since Benny was vowing to go clean. He soon becomes angry, trying to find out if someone, particularly drug dealer Anthony Cutter, was involved.

After Merv Poole gives them pretty good evidence to get Robbie on the burglary charge, it looks like they could have him on the dangerous driving as well until Liz tells them a surprising deal. He supposedly has information on Benny Matthews' death and is willing to trade it for indemnity. Jo is suspicious but PJ is believing. Robbie claims he saw Anthony Cutter bashing Benny, but is scared to say mo

It is an interesting time in Mt Thomas for couples - together and not together. While PJ and Liz enjoy a secret romance, Tom and Grace enjoy their not-so-secret romance and Tess and Jonesy struggle to hold back their all too obvious feelings for each other.

An Elvis auction brings out ""Gossie"" Goss (last seen in 8x25 ""Dinosaurs""), a fellow copper and friend of Tom's. When he buys a $6000 scarf which he can't afford, all for his girlfriend Barbara, Tom is worried. Barbara has no money either and is spending all her time doing some heavy petting with Gossie while her disgusted teenage daughter Laura pays the bill.

A domestic at the church finds Jonesy's mate's wedding coming to a standstill. Geoff Vincent and Charmian Blakeney are planning to get married the following day but her father Ned is fighting with his ex-wife Hilary and her young lover Damian. To add to this, the best man - Wolfie Schmidt is having serious troubles. The wedding rings are missing, one of which was Ned's mother's.

Sleazy jeweller Harold Craig has no idea where they are either, and although the Heelers have suspicions, he can't help them.

Ben is personally affected by the tragic death of an infant in a motor accident. He believes he's found the drunken culprit but the suspect has a different tale to tell. As Ben tries to get to the truth, he uncovers a scandal involving Grace's congregation. Grace finds herself under attack from a mystery assailant, but resists Tom's attempts to protect her. She also rejects a proposal of marriage made for all the wrong reasons forcing Tom to examine his true feelings for her.

Tom's wedding plans are thrown into disarray when Grace's ex husband, Simon, arrives in town. It soon becomes apparent that Simon will use any means to come between Tom and Grace and disrupt their marriage plans. An unfortunate caricature on the wall of the police station seems to be the work of Grace's son, but turns out to reveal the darker motives of Simon. Tom finds himself up against a very devious mind as he desperately tries to keep his marriage plans on track. Soon Tom finds himself at the centre of a murder investigation when Grace's ex husband is found dead under suspicious circumstances

Tom seems to be his own worst enemy when he admits to a violent confrontation with Simon shortly before his death. It takes the best efforts of the Heelers to clear Tom's name so that his wedding to Grace can finally go ahead. But there is another mystery to be solved before his colleagues can attend the nuptials.

As Ben and Jo wrestle with the problems of an immigrant family new to Mt Thomas, they discover there are deeper reasons for their troublesome behaviour. While they do their best for the family, they find the scars left by their experiences as asylum seekers in detention are not so easily healed. When the father has to commit the mother to psychiatric care, Ben is forced to put his life on the line to deal with an explosive situation involving their teenage son. Meanwhile Tom finally starts his new life in the rectory with Grace.

Tom finds parenthood is no easier the second time around. First his younger stepson is injured in an anti-abortion rally, then the older one admits to having caused the pregnancy of a local girl. To cap it off, his daughter gets defensive because her flatmate is a suspect in the brutal attack of the local doctor, who is running a controversial women's clinic. Tom recognises that his elder stepson isn't a kid any more and an unexpected bond forms between them.

Tess and Jonesy disagree about how to deal with a gang of troublesome teenage boys who seem to be beyond the reach of the law. The situation becomes complicated when a group of concerned citizens decides to take the law into their own hands. An injury to an old woman leads to retaliation with serious consequences for one of the youngsters. When Jonesy finally realises the source of Tess' intolerance, he helps her experience the childhood she never had.

Jo and PJ heal their rift as they find themselves investigating a bizarre case involving empty graves, bikers and missing bodies. PJ finds himself admiring Jo's compassionate side when she fights to organise a proper funeral for a homeless man, only to discover that all is not as it should be at the local funeral home. Jonesy is encouraged in his pursuit of Tess even though she is dating the handsome Dr. Josh

At the end of the day, PJ and Jo have a new understanding of each other while Jonesy can't stand the fact that Tess may be interested in Josh after all.

Sabu, the family dog of Tom's family is accused of killing livestock. Tess takes the hard line impounding the dog. As per usual Jonesy questions Tess' stance, resulting in another D & M between the lovestruck, but unattainable pair. Tess revelas that as a child she had a dog...for merely a few weeks. From all magazine accounts Jonesy fronts Tess late one night in the station a gorgeous border collie pup in his arms.

Sam, safely ensconced in Jo's house and attending school regulary; well at least for the last few days, joins the school netball team.

Trouble begins to brew when parents become upset about team plaements.

The coach is bashed and the star player a vitim of a hit and run.

During a match Sam deliberately trips another player who ends up with a broken nose. Jo insists Sam apologise, whish she does, but she also gets kicked off the team.

Grace asks Sam to stay with her and Tom, she accepts.

JO finds out through Tom, that PJ's opinion was asked.

Jo fronts PJ, and they part on bad terms.

It is the day after the explosion. The Mt. Thomas police station lies in ruins; Senior Constable Joanna Parish is dead, as is Clancy Freeman; and Grace Croydon is missing. While Tom recovers in hospital, PJ, Ben, Susie and Jonesy move into the new police premises where they are met with a surprise: Nick Schultz, now a Detective Sergeant in Homicide, has arrived to investigate the attack. And he's not the only one.

Sergeant Mark Jacobs has arrived in town for a temporary post - or so he thinks. But Inspector Falcon-Price wants Jacobs to move permanently into Mt. Thomas, because he wants a person more suitable than Ben to take over when Tom retires. Jacobs is an intellectual, self-confident, ambitious man in his 40s and quickly shows authority as the group move into their new premises.

PJ and Nick question 'Rocket' Turnbull, Tom's old war comrade, although he claims - and Tom agrees - that he couldn't get access to that much explosive.

When Cal Millic - the father who threatened Jo shor