Brian Courtis of "The Age" criticized Donald's exit in 2003: "Don certainly merited more than this teary-eyed, Goodbye-Mr-Chips dismissal. Old "Flathead", never happy at the cheeriest of times, has reason to look sad and sorry in his farewell episode of Home And Away (7pm, Seven). It is sloppy, sentimental, touching... showing almost unspeakable verisimilitude to real life. There is a last dollop of poetry for his final class of kids, an endless minor-key tinkling of the piano as Fisher's groper-wide mouth gulps at the thought of leaving his beloved waters, and then, with students, staff and locals, the big, emotional, surprise farewell party before he tootles off to Queensland, Valhalla of all Australian soapie greats."