Barry George "Sparky" Gibbs was a friend of Wolf West. He was a recurring character in Series 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 of Outrageous Fortune, and in Series 1 and 2 of Westside.
After the death of his father Dougal, a teenage Sparky was taken in by Rita West to live with the West family. He became friends with Wolf and would partake in crimes with the Wests, Eric and Falani.
A pyromaniac, Sparky worked as an electrician with a side job of arsonist to satisfy his desire for flames. He was heavily reliant on drugs in his adult life, which furthered his mental instability.
He suffered from psychosis and became religious, even believing that God was speaking directly to him, starting his own church and seeking forgiveness for his sins. He would later quit the drugs, which stabilised his mind and dampened his pyromania. He decided to settle down and have a family with Kilda Norris, but ended up in prison for kidnapping her.
After he escaped from prison, Sparky went by the name Maurice Gibbs and worked as a parking warden, having sworn off alcohol and women. He was blackmailed by Ted and Loretta into partaking in their crimes, and became infatuated with the transgender prostitute Angel.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
Sparky and his sister Anne-Marie lived with their father Dougal in the late 1970s after their mother left the family for Sydney. In late 1978 Sparky and Anne-Marie started to hang out with Wolf and Falani with Wolf and Anne-Marie starting a relationship.
In May 1978, Dougal Gibbs takes up an offer to work on a job with Ted, Lefty, Bilkey and Phineas to rob a security van by blowing up the door. Unfortunately Dougal is distracted and instead detonates the explosives early, killing himself.
Sparky is seen moving in with Ted and Rita West at the end of the episode
Season One[]
Sparky first appears in Outrageous Fortune when Wolf tells Van to help P head Sparky with a job. Pete has hired Sparky to burn down The Video Hut. As Sparky sets the building on fire, young Loretta West sits hidden in the other room. She comes out to discover Sparky and hits him over the head with a fire extinguisher and she puts out the fire.
Season Two[]
Wolf gets Jethro West to be Sparky's lawyer, as Sparky is facing huge time in jail for a serious arson charge and Wolf needs him on the outside. The only problem is, Sparky needs a witness to prove he was not at the scene of the crime. Sparky insists someone called Tinkerbell was there and when he sees Van he insists Van is Tinkerbell. Van is made to be a witness in the trial. Sparky is acquitted due to lack of evidence. It turns out, Wolf needs Sparky for a job, stealing alot of money from a series of gangs. But when Sparky gets into the gang headquarters and steals the money, he gets excited and sets the headquaters alight before leaving. Sparky returns at the end of the season, having found the light of god in his homemade religion. He confesses to Judd everything about the job, risking jail time for Van and Jethro and he tells the gang leader, Tyson. Tyson cleans out the West House, stealing everything. Sparky arrives back at the house seeking forgiveness and he reveals he is going to the bush, to start his own church as advised by Wolf.
Season Three[]
With Judd's court case coming up, Cheryl gets the worst news, in that Sparky has been reported missing and Judd, being the last person to see him, is a murder suspect. Ted West informs Cheryl that Sparky is living in the bush having created a new church. Loretta and Cheryl travel to a forest and see smoke. They follow the smoke and find Sparky naked and dancing. They take him back to West Auckland and he tells the police that Judd had nothing to do with the gang raid, getting Judd off the charges. Cheryl lets Sparky stay at the West House. Sparky decides to paint Cheryl a painting and needs a life model, he informs the family that he can not use Loretta as she is pregnant. He uses Van instead. The painting is hung in the main room of the West House for a short time.
Season Four[]
Wolf insists Van and Munter get in contact with Sparky to do the mechanics at Wolf and Sheree's new house. They are less than pleased but are surprised to find Sparky is very normal and off the drugs. But later, Loretta gives him drugs so that he will burn down the Video Hut as she is scared Nicky Greegan wants to buy it and Sparky reverts to his past self. Sparky sets about burning down the shop but when the fire spreads, he hears screams and realises he has accidently burnt down the pet shop next door. Traumatised, Sparky gets serious burns. Ted is given the job of looking after Baby Jane but he gets bored and gives her to Sparky, who takes her to the playgorund. The Wests get very worried that Jane is missing. While at the playground, Sparky meets Kilda Norris and falls in love with her. When he returns Jane, Sparky reveals he is off with a new mission, to have a family with Kilda.
Season Five[]
Ted West finds Sparky in prison and becomes good friends with him. It is revealed that Sparky was arrested for kidnapping Kilda Norris and driving her around in his car trying to apologize to her. Sparky tells Ted that he plans to break out of the prison. Alot of the prisoners are scared of Sparky, especially Dane Harris, but Ted tells Sparky to respect the boy. When Ted is released, Sparky tells him it is a shame as he is just about to break out. That night he breaks out and visits Kilda. She refuses to open the door however and the episode finishes on Sparky trying to get her attention.
Season Six[]
Sparky returns on the 100th episode. It is revealed he has given up his love for Kilda Norris and is staying away from alcohol or women. He is under the alias of Maurice Gibbs so as to not be caught on the run from prison.
A rejuvenated Sparky is beckoned by Angel.
He has taken a job as a parking warden and when he gives Ngaire West a ticket, Ted tries to beat him before finding out it is Sparky. Ted decides to start a new Crew and he blackmails Sparky to join. The crew steals some of Judd's security machines and Loretta blackmails Sparky to install it in her new brothel. Sparky tries hard not to get distracted by Angel. Sparky later drops out of Teds crew and the episode ends on Sparky falling for Angel's charms and having sex with her. Sparky later tries to seduce Mandy.