List of ''Home and Away'' characters (2016)

Home and Away is an Australian television soap opera. It was first broadcast on the Seven Network on 17 January 1988. The following is a list of characters that appeared in 2016, by order of first appearance. All characters are introduced by the soap's executive producer, Lucy Addario. The 29th season of Home and Away began airing on 1 February 2016.^[1] Dylan Carter was introduced during the same episode. Isla Schultz and Lindsay Ford arrived in March. May saw the arrival of Tori Morgan. Her brothers – Brody, Justin and Mason Morgan – were introduced in June. The following month, Tabitha Ford arrived. Hope Morrison and Raffy Morrison made their debuts in September, while Jeannie Woods made her first appearance in November.

Dylan Carter

Jeremy Lindsay Taylor played Dylan Carter.

Dylan Carter, played by Jeremy Lindsay Taylor, made his first screen appearance on 1 February 2016.^[2] Lindsay Taylor's casting was announced on 5 August 2015.^[3] He commented, "I have always wanted to be a part of this. Home and Away is an institution, it is iconic Australian TV. It is great to finally be a part of the family. I play a great role, my character is very complex and very interesting so that is really what drew me to it."^[2] Dylan Carter is a detective, who will work alongside Katarina Chapman (Pia Miller), when he comes to Summer Bay. Lindsay Taylor said Dylan would be kept busy and added that he had a connection to the Bay.^[2]

Dylan is the lead detective on the Charlotte King (Erika Heynatz) murder case, working alongside his former fiancée Katarina Chapman and Mike Emerson (Cameron Stewart). Dylan knows how uncomfortable Kat is when he signs up for the investigation, but Kat tells him that she is okay with his presence. Dylan and Kat question Martin Ashford (George Mason), Zac MacGuire (Charlie Clausen) and Zac and Charlotte's teenage son Hunter King (Scott Lee). Dylan asks Kat out to dinner as friends, but Kat refuses his offer as she is still affected by the abuse she suffered by Dylan. He apologises for his actions and Kat agrees that he should be sorry. Kat and Dylan question Irene Roberts (Lynne McGranger) over a piece of Irene's clothing being found at the crime scene but she is then cleared. Dylan asks Billie Ashford (Tessa de Josselin) a few questions and questions Phoebe Nicholson (Isabella Giovinazzo) about Ash's whereabouts on the night of the murder before he violently arrests Ash but is later cleared after Kat finds an alibi. Kat and Dylan discover that Charlotte had a second phone and learn that she made a call to Kyle Braxton (Nic Westaway) half an hour before her murder. They soon come to a dead end with Kyle but they discover footage from the Bait Shop that clearly shows Zac following Charlotte. Dylan then charges Zac with Charlotte's murder. Alf Stewart (Ray Meagher) asks his sister Morag Bellingham (Cornelia Frances) to be Zac's lawyer and she immediately clashes with Dylan. At Zac's bail hearing Morag notices a suspicious look between the judge and Dylan moments after Zac is denied bail. Morag later confronts Dylan about it. Zac is later released after Morag finds an alibi proving that he was at the caravan park at the time of Charlotte's death. Dylan and Kat stray from work to reattach before they find an article of a sex tape of Charlotte and Matt Page (Alec Snow) that has been released to the public. Matt is questioned but cleared. Determined not to let Dylan win, Kat asks Zac's wife Leah Patterson-Baker (Ada Nicodemou) if she remembers anything that was dodgy. Leah remembers Morag saying she had bad feelings about a look between the judge and Dylan after Zac was denied bail. Kat pays a visit to the judge and blackmails him into confessing that Dylan knew about an affair the judge was having and used that to blackmail him to refuse Zac bail. Kat then takes the judge's statement to Phillip McCarthy (Nicholas Cassim) who is appalled. McCarthy brings in David Joyce (Don Halbert) who tells Dylan is suspended until further notice. When Kat is alone at the Farmhouse, Dylan starts spouting deluded beliefs of how they belong together. Kat tells him to go, and when he grabs her arm, she pushing him down onto the ground. She tells him that he's pathetic and she's not going to let him intimidate her anymore. Dylan slinks away, defeated. Dylan has a run-in with Billie at the gym. Dylan later attacks Ash and holds him, Billie and Kat hostage at 31 Saxon Avenue. Kat tells Dylan that he hasn't dealt with the grief of Anton and that Anton wouldn't want this. Dylan sobs and is arrested.

Isla Schultz

Samantha Jade played Isla Schultz.

Isla Schultz, played by singer Samantha Jade, made her first appearance on 3 March 2016.^[5] The character and Jade's casting was announced on 5 September 2015.^[6] Jade told Jonathon Moran of The Daily Telegraph, "I'm always asked when I will do more acting & now I am saying yes, I am coming to the Bay. It is really exciting. I've wanted to do more acting & I wanted to do something unexpected & different and this is very very different to Kylie (Minogue)." ^[6] Jade began filming her first scenes three days after her casting announcement.^[7] She wrapped her stint on the show in November.^[8]

Isla comes to Summer Bay with "bad intentions" and Jade said she would have "a bit of a past".^[6] Isla also becomes a love interest for one of the male characters.^[6] Jade later described her character as "a bit naughty − a bit of a bad girl", as she has become involved with some bad people. However, Jade added that Isla would mean well.^[9]

Isla goes to Angelo's and flirts with Kyle Braxton (Nic Westaway), before informing someone on the phone that she has found him. Isla later tells Kyle that she works for Dave Rogers (Yure Covich), a man Kyle lost money to during a poker game in Melbourne. Dave has sent Isla to collect Kyle's debt, but Kyle does not pay up. When Dave makes threats, Kyle tries to get Isla out of Summer Bay to protect her, but Dave has them kidnapped and driven out to the bush. Dave gives Kyle and Isla a shovel and tells them to dig their own graves. They manage to escape and Kyle goes to the police. He lets Isla stay with him and they have sex. Isla's former partner, Harry Kingswood (Wayne Bradley), brings their daughters to Summer Bay to visit her. After spending the day with them, Isla later takes her daughter and Harry threatens to call the police. Kyle finds Isla working in a brothel and convinces her to return the girls to Harry. When Isla learns Harry is moving interstate, she buys a gun and tries to rob the Reefton Lakes golf club. Kyle finds out her plan and arrives to talk her out of it. He convinces her to run, just as the police storm the building. Kyle is arrested and charged with armed robbery. He refuses to give up Isla to the police as he wants her to have a better life with her daughters. Isla intends to hand herself in, but Kyle takes the money and the gun and gives them to the police with his fingerprints on them. Isla comes to see Ricky Sharpe (Bonnie Sveen), who informs her Kyle has been sentenced to thirteen years in prison. When Ricky tells Isla that she hopes she was worth it, Isla states that she will make sure she is. She adds that Kyle is the best man she has ever known, before leaving.

Lindsay Ford

Lindsay Ford, played by Georgia Flood, made her first appearance on 17 March 2016. Flood's casting was announced on 7 October 2015, while her character was revealed in March 2016.^[10][11] When Flood was offered the role, she was unsure that she could see herself on the show, but thought her character was "really cool" and accepted.^[11] She enjoyed filming her guest appearance, commenting, "I loved, loved doing it and would go back there in a heartbeat."^[11]

Lindsay tries to contact Hunter King (Scott Lee), but he refuses to take her calls. She later comes to the caravan park to see him. She introduces herself to Hunter's girlfriend Olivia (Raechelle Banno) and reveals that she was the person who picked Hunter up the night he left Summer Bay. Hunter thanks Lindsay for letting him stay with her and she explains that she wanted to see him after reading that his father is in prison. Lindsay also mentions that she plans on staying for a while, but adds that she does not want to ruin Hunter and Olivia's relationship. However, she later tells Olivia that she and Hunter kissed. Lindsay comes to check on Hunter and he apologises for leading her on, before asking her to leave so he can fix his relationship with Olivia. Lindsay runs into Olivia on the beach and implies that she and Hunter did more than just kiss. When Olivia later sees Lindsay with her arm around Hunter, she ends their relationship. Lindsay throws a party on the beach and pays Drew Panton (Govinda Roser-Finch) to make advances towards Olivia, so she can take a photo of them together. Hunter and Olivia break up. Lindsay goes to the diner and purposely annoys Olivia, who attempts to hit her. Lindsay meets up with Hunter, telling him that Olivia has moved on. They spend the day watching films and Lindsay tries to kiss Hunter, but he tells her he just wants to be friends. Lindsay steals Alf Stewart's (Ray Meagher) ute and Hunter is knocked unconscious trying to stop her. Lindsay flees the scene. She later meets up with Olivia, who tells her to leave town or she will call the police about Hunter's accident.

Tori Morgan

Tori Morgan,^[13] played by Penny McNamee, made her first screen appearance on 5 May 2016.^[14] The character and casting was announced on 22 November 2015.^[15] McNamee commented that the role was her "dream job" and something she had wanted since she began her acting career.^[15] She began filming her first scenes in early November and praised her co-star Georgie Parker for helping her out on set.^[15] Tori is a doctor who comes to Summer Bay for a fresh start. McNamee commented that she would have "dark secrets".^[15] In an interview with Ali Cromarty of TV Week, McNamee explained that Tori was running from something and came to check out Summer Bay for her family. Tori is the first of four Morgan siblings to arrive, and she wants to see if it is safe to bring her brothers there.^[14]

Tori attends a hospital fundraiser at the caravan park, where gas tanks explode injuring many of the guests. She helps Roo Stewart (Parker), before declaring Oscar MacGuire (Jake Speer) dead. At the hospital, Tori meets her new colleague Nate Cooper (Kyle Pryor) and takes over the treatment of his wife Ricky Sharpe (Bonnie Sveen). She also treats Tank Snelgrove's (Reece Milne) head injury and declares nurse Hannah Wilson (Cassie Howarth) dead, after she collapses with a brain haemorrhage. When Tori's three brothers, Justin (James Stewart), Brody (Jackson Heywood) and Mason Morgan (Orpheus Pledger) arrive, Justin gets into a fight with Martin Ashford (George Mason). Tori shows them the house and is angry at Justin for getting into a fight upon his arrival to the Bay. After Nate and Ricky separate, the nurses at the hospital blame Tori for the breakup Nate and Ricky's marriage, upsetting her and angering Nate. Nate tells the nurses the real reason behind his marriage breakup and makes it clear Tori had nothing to do with it. When Alf suffers a massive heart attack, Tori and Nate work together to save him.

That night, Tori comes to Nate's house, with a bottle of wine in hand. The two have drinks and Tori sleeps on the couch once Nate ordered pizza at Angelo's. Tori begins to have feelings for Nate. Tori finds out that Mason told his ex-girlfriend, Lara Adams (Elle Harris) about them being under witness protection and the Morgans were forced to leave the Bay. Tori saves Nate, who is found unconscious and can't remember what happened. Tori checks the security footage on the night Nate collapsed and sees Nate being drugged by Spike Lowe, an enemy behind her parents' deaths. Tori returns home and Spike breaks in and holds her hostage. Justin comes to rescue her and Spike threatens to hurt Tori if Justin refuses to give him a book. However, Tori and Justin don't know what he was talking about. Justin tackles Spike to the ground, while Tori uses pepper spray on Spike's face. Spike escapes and the Morgans leaves the bay and hhideid in a house by the bushes. The Morgans find out that Lara helped Spike and Blaine Varden to find them and Blaine holds the siblings hostage and tells them that he killed their parents and wanted Justin to be killed too, but their mother got in the way. Tori contacted her police protector, Decker and he and his squad find them and arrest Blaine and Lara, but Spike escapes and attacks Brody. The siblings return to the Bay to take Brody to the hospital. Tori and Mason are angry at Justin for not telling them who killed their parents and Tori has no choice but to kick Justin out of their home.

Nate decides to cheer Tori up by playing volleyball by the beach, swimming at the pool and having lunch. At the diner, Tori is hurt when she sees him kissing Danika Kulevski who Nate introduced to. That afternoon, Tori comes to see Nate and tells him that he should have gone with Danika. However, Tori is unaware that Nate has feelings for her, not Danika. Tori meets Roo's half brother, Duncan Stewart (Benedict Wall) and befriends him. Tori continues to see Duncan and Nate grow jealous of Tori's relationship with Duncan. That afternoon, Nate comes to see her at her house and admits his feelings to her, saying she is amazing. Tori tells Nate that he should leave, and he does, with Tori being confused. When Tori's birthday arrives, Duncan offers her a flight to the vineyard for the day and Tori invites Brody, Mason, Nate, Leah Patterson-Baker, Billie Ashford, Irene Roberts and Evelyn MacGuire on the trip. During the flight, Tori and the others pass out and the plane crashes into the desert. Everyone survives, but Brody is missing. Tori, Nate and Duncan go to find him, but a few days later, there is no trace.

Tori reunites with Justin, who comes to find her and Brody. The four find Brody fallen off a high cliff and they send him to the hospital. Tori and Duncan start dating, but their relationship gains a third wheel when Duncan's ex-wife, Caroline Stewart (Nicole Shostak), comes to the Bay with their son, Bryce Stewart (Ace and Jack Long). Caroline comes to the hospital to see Tori and threatens her to stay away from Duncan. Tori breaks up with Duncan. A few months later, Duncan and Tori get back together, after Caroline and Bryce return to Hawaii, leaving Nate hurt, who still has feelings for Tori. Tori and Nate argue during a volleyball game with John Palmer (Shane Withington) and Phoebe Nicholson (Isabella Giovinazzo) and Nate tells Tori that he wants to leave Summer Bay, which upsets Tori. Duncan receives a call from Alf that Caroline is injured and that Duncan decides to return to Hawaii to look after her, and asked Tori to come with him, but she declines and they break up for good, and Duncan returns to Hawaii. When Nate is about to go Bali for the week, Tori asks him if he would like to go out for a drink with her when he returns, and he accepts her offer. When Nate returns, he asks her out on a date. Tori and Nate have a drink at the Beach House and they almost share a kiss, until Bianca Scott (Lisa Gormley) a former resident of Summer Bay returns. Tori is jealous of Bianca and mistakes her for Nate's ex. However, Nate tells Tori that he and Bianca never had a romantic involvement since Bianca is married and has two children. Tori and her brothers tell their half-sister, Raffy Morrison (Olivia Deeble), that their parents were murdered and that they are under witness protection.

When Raffy is missing, Tori ends her shift at the hospital to find her, Nate and Tori get trapped inside the elevator. While being trapped, Tori shows Nate the plane ticket that Duncan sent her, so she can to go to Hawaii to see him, but Tori tells Nate that she has decided not to go. Tori then kisses Nate and they have sex in the elevator. That night, Tori tells Nate that she wants more than just a casual relationship. He replies that he does not do casual relationships and they start dating. But Nate ends their relationship when he found out the truth about her and her family in the newspaper. After Decker died, Ranae Turner (Sacha Horler became the Morgan's new protector, but Justin doesn't trust her and the siblings found out that Ranae is responsible for their parents' deaths. Ranae kidnaps Tori and stabs Justin as he tries to rescue her. At the hospital, Tori reunite with her ex-boyfriend Riley Hawkins (Ryan O'Kane), which made Nate jealous. Nate tries to win Tori back, but she rejects him. Tori makes a hard decision to choose between Nate or Riley. Tori choose Riley and they got back together. Once reconciled, Riley asked Tori to move in to the city with him, leaving Raffy upset. But when Tori sees how upset Raffy was, she turned Riley down and decided to stay with her family. Tori discovered someone tries to get Nate fired by writing complaints about killing Billie, but Riley confess that he did it, because he witnessed her and Nate hugging. Tori breaks up with him. He later comes to her house, and he tells her to get out of her life. When he refuses, Justin heard them arguing and fights Riley before she asked Riley to leave. Riley later leaves Summer Bay for good. While having a drink with Nate at Salt, Tori was surprised when he told her that he loves her. Justin and Phoebe tries to get Nate and Tori back together. Tori tells Nate that she loves him too and they get back together.

Brody Morgan

Brody Morgan, played by Jackson Heywood, made his first screen appearance on 7 June 2016.^[16] Heywood previously appeared on the show in 2009 as Lachie Cladwell. The character and Heywood's casting was announced on 5 December 2015, alongside James Stewart and Orpheus Pledger, who play Brody's brothers.^[17] The actors began filming their first scenes during the week commencing 7 December.^[17] Heywood expects the Morgan brothers to be compared to the Braxton brothers who were introduced to the show in 2011. He commented, "I can definitely see that, but I think we have a very different dynamic. It will be exciting to tell the story and as it will be revealed, it will be a very different story."^[17] Brody is a chef who has "big ambitions".^[17]

Brody and his two brothers, Justin and Mason, are driving to Summer Bay when their car almost crashes into Martin Ashford's (George Mason), which leads to Ash and Justin fighting. Brody stops the fight and the brothers move on. They bump into Ash again and their sister, Tori Morgan (Penny McNamee) introduces her brothers to Ash and Alf Stewart (Ray Meagher). Brody goes to the diner with Mason and he insults Leah Patterson-Baker's (Ada Nicodemou) food, causing her to throw them out. Brody befriends Phoebe Nicholson (Isabella Giovinazzo), after she had a one-night stand with Justin and he makes her breakfast. When the chef at Angelo's walks out, Brody steps in to help Phoebe throughout service. Phoebe was impressed by Brody's skills and she offers him a job, which he accepts. On his first day at work, Brody stops a fight between Mason and Justin.

Brody buys Angelo's, and he and Phoebe come up with plans to give Angelo's a makeover and a new name. Brody renames the restaurant Salt. Brody was then followed by Spike Lowe (Jason Montgomery), who followed him by car, Brody then reports it to his siblings that he's been followed. When the Morgan's learn their lives are in danger, they are forced to leave Summer Bay. Brody is initially reluctant to go, Brody left Phoebe in charge of Salt as he went into hiding with his siblings. The family are held hostage by Blaine Varden (Ashley Lyons), who reveals that their mother died to protect Justin. Brody suffers a head injury after he is pushed down an embankment by Spike and is taken to hospital, where he eventually regains consciousness. Soon, Brody was discharged from hospital and works at Salt again. Brody was told by Tori that Justin knew who killed their parents and Brody angrily kicked Justin out of the restaurant. He was angry at Phoebe for letting Justin stay at her place then lashes at her when she mentioned Justin's name and threatens to fire her. Brody began to suspect that Mason has quickly moved on from his ex, Lara Adams (Elle Harris) and start to have feelings for Evelyn MacGuire (Philippa Northeast) and tells Mason not to start a new relationship with Evie.

Brody was invited to go to a flying trip to a vineyard for Tori's birthday by Duncan Stewart (Benedict Wall), with Evie, Mason, Tori, Irene Roberts (Lynne McGranger), Leah Patterson-Baker (Ada Nicodemou) and Billie Ashford (Tessa de Josselin), but during the flight, Brody and everyone passed out and the plane crashed in the desert. But Brody was missing and was separated from his family and friends. Brody became dehyrated and his vision became hallucinated when he sees his deceased mother, Kate Lee at the beach. While hiking in hallucinated, Brody takes all his clothes off and jumps off a cliff, injuring himself. Tori, Nate, Justin and Duncan found him and bring him to the hospital. Brody's heart stopped during surgery, but Brody's heart beats again and he recovers. Brody decided to grow a veggie patch at the farmhouse for the restaurant, and asked Evie to help him. They talked about family and they muck around, by throwing soil at each other.

Brody told Evie that today was great and they should do it again sometimes, which Evie agrees. Mason overheard their conversation while coming to see Evie, mistakenly thought Evie and Brody slept together. Mason attacks Brody, but grabbing his neck and shove him to the fridge, but Evie and Brody told Mason that nothing happened. At a volleyball event, Brody meets Jeannie Woods (Anna Bamford), who is a friend of Evie's and Brody became attached to her. Brody was annoyed that Matt Page (Alec Snow) also likes Jeannie too. Brody offers Jeannie a job at Salt and they flirt. At the end of work, Jeannie kiss Brody on the cheek, and Brody attempts to kiss her, but she pushes him, and he tells her to leave. Jeannie lost her job, but Brody offers her to come back and gave her a box of strawberries. She kisses him and they start a relationship. Brody and Jeannie went on their first date, but Jeannie told him that her parents kicked her out of the house and Jeannie stays with Brody. But the next day, Jeannie's father, Randall Woods (Paul Ceaser) came in the house and confronts Brody. But Randall calms down and thanked Brody being a good friend to Jeannie. That night, Randall tells Brody to stay away from Jeannie as he and Jeannie's mother are doomsday preppers. Brody and Jeannie agrees to date in secret. However, Jeannie and Brody end things and Jeannie left her job at Salt for another job in Yabbie Creek and left. In 2017, Brody struggles to make a new menu for the restaurant and buys drugs from Lena Ascot (Felicity McKay). Brody soon became addicted to drugs and buys more from Lena and her accompanist, William Zannis (Caleb Alloway). Brody began to lie to his siblings and friends about his drug addiction and he shouts and puts Raffy in danger.

Brody tries to sell Raffy's necklace for drugs from a pawn shop, and the owner asked him for $10, and Brody gets aggressive and trashes the stock and runs off as the police pursues him and hijacks a car with Scarlett Snow (Tania Nolan), who took him to her house, where she knocks him out and ties him up. He later leaves with Zannis. Brody moves out and move in with Scarlett, but he ransacks her house, and broke into her safe box and stole her $10,000 and her golden bracelet. Brody meets and befriended Ziggy Astoni (Sophie Dillman) who moved to Summer Bay with her family. When Ziggy was not happy when her new home, she decided to return to the city to her boyfriend Jarrod (Joel Davis), and asked Brody to take her back to the city, which he agrees. He drops her off, but returns after Ziggy called him to pick her up. Brody and Ziggy's relationship became close as they spend more time together, and they share a kiss. But Ziggy's parents Ben Astoni (Rohan Nichol) and Maggie Astoni (Kestie Morassi) disapproves of Ziggy and Brody seeing each other as they found out that Brody is a drug addict. However, Ziggy rejects Brody's affections. Brody and Mason got involved in a car accident and Mason was badly injured and Tori blames Brody for Mason's accident. Ziggy came to see Brody at the hospital but he tells her to leave. Brody decided to go to rehab to recover from his drug addiction and says goodbye to his family and Ziggy, who kisses him goodbye.

Justin Morgan

Justin Morgan, played by James Stewart, made his first screen appearance on 7 June 2016.^[16] The character and Stewart's casting was announced on 5 December 2015, alongside Jackson Heywood and Orpheus Pledger, who play Justin's brothers.^[17] The actors began filming their first scenes during the week commencing 7 December.^[17] Justin is Stewart's first on-going role since he took a year off to care for his young daughter.^[17] Like Heywood, Stewart expected Braxton brothers comparisons, but he told Jonathon Moran of The Daily Telegraph, "Creating this family is probably more our priority than taking over the Brax boys. How do you take on Steve Peacocke (Brax)? I hope Australia is ready for it, it is the way it is."^[17]

While driving to Summer Bay to reunite with their sister Tori Morgan (Penny McNamee), Justin and his brothers, Brody (Heywood) and Mason (Pledger), almost crash into Martin Ashford's (George Mason) car. Justin tries to fight Ash, but Brody tells him to move on. Tori introduces her brothers to Alf Stewart (Ray Meagher). Justin goes to Summer Bay Auto to enquire about a job, but leaves when he finds out that Ash is the owner. Justin meets Phoebe Nicholson (Isabella Giovinazzo) at the beach and they have a one-night stand. Tori gets Justin a job with Alf on his boat. When Alf suffers a heart attack, Justin swims to the shore to get help. When Mason's girlfriend, Lara Adams (Elle Harris) arrives in town, Justin warns her to stay away from Mason. He also tells Mason to end the relationship. Justin becomes the temporary manager of Alf's bait shop, while Alf recovers. Mason tells his sibling that he told Lara that they are in witness protection. Spike Lowe (Jason Montgomery) takes Tori hostage and threatens to hurt her if Justin refuses to give him a book, but Justin and Tori do not know what he is talking about. They fight back and Spike leaves. With their cover exposed, the Morgans are temporarily relocated by the police. They are taken hostage by Spike and Blaine Varden (Ashley Lyons), after Mason tells Lara where they are. Blaine tells Brody, Mason and Tori that their mother sacrificed herself for Justin, and that he knew all along who killed their parents. The police, led by the family's protection officer Decker (John Adam), turn up and arrest Blaine and Lara. Brody is taken the hospital after suffering a head injury. Tori and Mason ask Justin to leave the house, so he moves in with Phoebe.

Justin tries to apologise to his siblings, but they refuse to talk to him. Spike returns and threatens Justin and Phoebe. He gives Justin two days to find the book he wants or he will harm his family and Phoebe. Justin and Phoebe eventually find the book, which contains information related to a gang, at a storage centre. Justin hands over the book to Spike, but the police arrive and arrest Spike. Before he is driven away, he tells Justin to say goodbye to Tori for him. Justin realise that Spike is planning to crash a plane that is taking his siblings and their friends to a vineyard for Tori's birthday. Justin arrives at the airport too late and the plane takes off. He manages to contact the pilot, Duncan Stewart (Benedict Wall), and tries to tell him something is wrong. The plane later crashes. Justin and Ash set out to find the plane on their own. After the first passengers are found, including Mason, Justin learns Tori and Brody are still missing, so he returns to search for them alone. He manages to find Tori, Nate Cooper (Kyle Pryor) and Duncan. They soon locate a seriously injured Brody, who has fallen off a cliff, and get him to the hospital.

Mason Morgan

Mason Morgan, played by Orpheus Pledger made his first screen appearance on 7 June 2016.^[16] The character and Pledger's casting was announced on 5 December 2015, alongside Jackson Heywood and James Stewart, who play Mason's brothers.^[17] The actors began filming their first scenes during the week commencing 7 December.^[17] Pledger relocated to Sydney from Melbourne for the role.^[17]

Mason and his brothers, Brody (Jackson Heywood) and Justin (James Stewart), join their sister Tori (Penny McNamee) in Summer Bay. Mason is accepted into the local university, so he can continue studying medicine. Mason and Brody are thrown out of the diner when Brody insults the food. Mason returns to apologise to the owner, Leah Patterson-Baker (Ada Nicodemou). Mason's girlfriend, Lara Adams (Elle Harris), comes to see him, leading to clashes with his siblings. Mason befriends Evelyn MacGuire (Phillippa Northeast) and comforts her when her fiancé Josh Barrett (Jackson Gallagher) ends their engagement. As part of his studies, Mason begins work at the local hospital. He helps Alf Stewart (Ray Meagher) when he falls out of bed. Nate Cooper (Kyle Pryor) confronts Mason when he discovers that he did not call a staff member to assess Alf's condition. When Lara threatens to end their relationship, Mason tells her that his family are in witness protection. After their cover is exposed, the Morgans leave the Bay and move into a holding house. Mason is kidnapped by Spike Lowe (Jason Montgomery) and Blaine Varden (Ashley Lyons). He also learns Lara is their accomplice. Mason and his siblings are held hostage by Blaine, who reveals that he tried to kill Justin, but their mother sacrificed herself to save him. The Morgans are rescued by the police and their federal police protector, Decker (John Adams). Mason and Tori asks Justin to leave, after learning that he lied to them.

Mason helps Evie with a school sleep out at Summer Bay High and he kisses her. But Evie pulls away and Mason later apologises. Mason and Matt Page (Alex Snow) worry about Evie when she gets drunk at a party. Mason takes her to his house to let her sleep on his couch and she tries to kiss him. Brody warns Mason about starting a relationship due to their situation. Mason and Evie argue about her partying, but Evie apologises and agrees to help Mason study. They have sex and agree to a casual relationship. To celebrate her 30th birthday, Tori invites Mason, Brody and her friends to fly to a vineyard. During the flight, the passengers pass out due to a carbon monoxide leak and the plane crashes. Everyone survives, but Brody is missing. Tori, Nate and Duncan Stewart (Benedict Wall) leave to find him, while Mason stays behind with Evie, Leah, Irene Roberts (Lynne McGranger) and a pregnant Billie Ashford (Tessa de Josselin), who Mason helps. Mason pushes Evie out of the way when leaking fuel ignites and explodes. He suffers a burn to his arm. Everyone is eventually rescued, though Brody suffers serious injuries after falling from a cliff. Evie believes she saw her deceased twin brother and tries to prove that he is protecting her. With Mason in the car, she begins speeding and he is forced to apply the handbrake to stop them from crashing. Evie asks Mason to stay away from her, but she later apologises. Mason realises he has feelings for Evie and tells her he wants more than a casual relationship with her.

Mason sees Olivia alone in the diner after she rejects Hunter. He asks her to go on a walk.

Tabitha Ford

Tabitha "Tabby" Ford, played by Eliza Scanlen,^[18] made her first appearance on 21 July 2016. Scanlen's casting was revealed in March 2016 when she was photographed filming alongside Raechelle Banno, who plays Olivia Fraser Richards, at Palm Beach.^[19] Johnathon Hughes of Digital Spy included Tabitha on his list of the "most evil mean girls in soap". He stated, "The scourge of Summer Bay High was obsessed with frenemy Olivia Fraser Richards and tried to steal the vulnerable teen's life by playing on her abusive past. Attempting to take Olivia's hunky boyfriend Hunter, terrible Tabitha turned more Single White Female than Mean Girls when she started dressing like her rival to tempt him."^[20] Hughes went on to say that Tabitha "crossed the line" when she posed as Olivia's abuser and that everyone in the Bay was relieved when she left for boarding school.^[20]

Tabitha approaches Olivia Fraser Richards to ask for directions for the Surf Club, and they recognise each other from group counselling. Olivia invites Tabitha to a school sleep out. Tabitha warns Olivia's former boyfriend Hunter King (Scott Lee) to stay away from Olivia. She tells Olivia that Hunter called her self-harm scars disgusting, and denies lying when confronted. Tabitha records Zac MacGuire (Charlie Clausen) entering his password in the school system, and she later uses it to change Hunter's exam result, which results in his suspension. Olivia discovers the video on Tabitha's phone and tells Zac, but Tabitha erases the video. Olivia later records Tabitha confessing to the switch and she ends their friendship. Tabitha starts dressing like Olivia and sneaks into Hunter's caravan to kiss him. Hunter kisses her back, mistaking her for Olivia. Tabitha tells Olivia what happened, hoping Olivia will break up with Hunter. Zac contacts Tabitha's parents about her behaviour and the police give her a warning. After Olivia cancels plans to go to the dance with him, Hunter goes to the Diner and notices Tabitha on her laptop. He becomes suspicious when Tabitha brings up his cancelled date. He takes the laptop from her and sees that she is blackmailing Olivia by pretending to be her abuser Kirk Sheppard. The following day, Olivia confronts Tabitha at school, as she packs up her belongings. Olivia and Hunter later see Tabitha and her sister, Juliette (Rose Marel), at the Diner and they eat lunch with them. Olivia wishes Tabitha well at her new school, and they say goodbye.

Hope Morrison

Hope Morrison, played by Jessica Falkholt, made her first screen appearance on 19 September 2016.^[21][22] Jessica Aquilina of the Daily Mail Australia announced Falkholt's casting on 17 May with on-set photographs showing her filming scenes for the show.^[23] A writer for The Sun's TV Soap magazine commented, " They may be new arrivals to Summer Bay, but Hope and Raffy aren't half causing a stir."^[24]

Hope attempts to hit Justin Morgan (James Stewart) with a piece of timber, after hearing him outside her home. Martin Ashford (George Mason) and Kat Chapman (Pia Miller) stop her from running away. Justin tells Hope that Atticus Decker (John Adam) is in the hospital. Her younger sister Raffy Morrison (Olivia Deeble) comes outside and reveals that Decker is their uncle. Justin tells Hope that Decker's car was deliberately run off the road. Spike Lowe and his associates attempt to kidnap Raffy and Hope. Ash saves Raffy, but Hope is thrown into the waiting car and driven away. Spike takes Hope to the hospital and pretends to be her husband, so he can access Decker's room. Spike attempts to give Decker a lethal injection, but is stopped just in time and arrested. Raffy and Hope are invited to stay at the farmhouse with Kat and Phoebe Nicholson (Isabella Giovinazzo). Hope annoys Phoebe when she wears her clothes and eats her food. Hope accidentally breaks her phone and later accuses John Palmer (Shane Withington) of breaking it when he bumps into her. She asks for a few hundred dollars, which John refuses to pay. Justin gives Hope a part-time job at the garage, where she steals credit card details from customers. Hope tries to flee the Bay, but she is arrested and charged for misappropriation of funds.

On the day she is released, Justin tells Hope that Raffy is Decker's daughter and his half-sister. Hope packs up her and Raffy's belongings and steals Mason's car. She picks up Raffy, but the car breaks down and they are forced to walk. Hope slips and falls down a steep bank, causing a tear in her liver. Raffy flags down Nate Cooper (Kyle Pryor) and he treats Hope, before she is taken to the hospital for surgery. While she recovers, Hope tells Raffy not to trust the Morgans. Raffy soon learns that she is related to the Morgans and that Hope is not her sister. She and Hope decide to leave the Bay. Hope steals money from Salt, but she is caught and arrested by Kat. Hope is sent to remand, but she is brought back to the Yabbie Creek police station when she struggles to cope being in solitary confinement. Hope struggles to sleep, so Nate Cooper (Kyle Pryor) prescribes her some diazepam. Hope steals some sleeping pills from his kit and takes an accidental overdose, resulting in her hospitalisation. Hope apologises to Phoebe and asks her to look after Raffy. After Hope is discharged, she is able to say goodbye to Raffy before she is taken back to prison. She encourages Raffy to trust the Morgans and tells Justin to take care of Raffy. Hope was then escorted back to prison by the police.

Raffy Morrison

Raffy "Sparrow" Morrison, played by Olivia Deeble, made her first screen appearance on 19 September 2016.^[25] Daniel Collins of the Daily Mail Australia announced Deeble's casting on 31 August with on-set photographs showing her filming scenes for the show.^[26] Details of Deeble's casting and her character were announced on 9 September.^[25] The actress relocated to Sydney from Melbourne for filming, and she has a three-year contract with the show.^[25] A writer for The Sun's TV Soap magazine commented, " They may be new arrivals to Summer Bay, but Hope and Raffy aren't half causing a stir."^[24]

Raffy hears her sister Hope Morrison (Jessica Falkholt) talking to Justin Morgan (James Stewart) about their uncle Atticus Decker (John Adam), who is in the hospital. Raffy is almost kidnapped by Spike Lowe (Jason Montgomery) and his associates, but saved by Martin Ashford (George Mason). However, Hope is taken. Kat Chapman (Pia Miller) tells Raffy that the police will find Hope. Raffy then breaks down and admits that she has no one else. However Hope was safe and she and Raffy moves into the Farmhouse with Katarina Chapman (Pia Miller), Billie Ashford (Tessa de Josselin) and Phoebe Nicholson (Isabella Giovinazzo). Raffy attends to Summer Bay High and befriended with Eloise Page (Darcey Wilson). Decker later reveals to the Morgans that he had an affair with their mother, Kate Lee née Sparrow, and that Raffy is in fact their half-sister and Hope's cousin. Raffy found out the truth after finding a DNA test results at the Morgan's house and confronts Justin and Tori Morgan (Penny McNamee) who comes clean, telling her that their mother Kate is her real mum and Decker is her real dad. Raffy was hurt and upset by this and runs away. Hope convince Raffy to run away with her and she accepts. But their plan fails as Hope got arrested. Raffy found out from Justin that Hope got arrested and refuses to leave with Justin. Raffy meets Hope again and Hope tells her that she's going back to prison and will stay there 6 months or a year and tells her that she should stay with Morgans. But Raffy refuses to leave Hope, but Hope gave Raffy to Justin and Raffy cries in Phoebe's arms as Hope was taken away by the police. Raffy learnt from her siblings that their parents were murdered by drug dealers and that they are under witness protection. Raffy runs away and ends up at the Farmhouse. Raffy almost exposed the Morgans' secret to Kat, but Phoebe arrived in time, able to stop Raffy revealing her siblings' secrets. Phoebe tells her to grow up and show some respect to her older siblings. A week later, Raffy found out Decker was shot. But at the hospital, Tori told her that Decker didn't make it and Raffy runs off in tears, with Mason running after her and comforts her in his arms.

In 2017, Brody who was on drugs, shouted at Raffy and Justin was furious. Justin was even more angry when Brody drove high speed with Raffy inside. When Eloise told her that her brother Matt Page (Alec Snow) and his fiancee Evelyn MacGuire (Philippa Northeast) invites her to go to Vietnam with them, which she refuses to go. Raffy tells her that Matt isn't her legal guardian, nor is Evelyn. But Eloise changed her mind. Raffy attends to Matt and Evelyn's wedding at the Farmhouse and the next day, she says goodbye to Elly as she left for Vietnam with Matt and Evelyn. Raffy meets her niece and Justin's daughter Ava Gilbert (Grace Thomas) who showed up at Summer Bay from the city. Raffy later plays with Justin and Ava at the beach. One day, Raffy was told by her siblings that she has to move out, due to Brody's drug addiction got worse and Raffy moves in with John Palmer (Shane Withington) and Marilyn Chambers (Emily Symons), but is hurt that she cannot live her family. Raffy befriended with newcomer Coco Astoni (Anna Croquel), who moves to Summer Bay from the city with her family.

Jeannie Woods

Jeannie Woods, played by Anna Bamford, made her first screen appearance on 1 November 2016.^[27] Bamford's casting was revealed in May 2016 when she was photographed on the Home and Away set.^[28] Bamford was on-screen for approximately six weeks.^[27] Jeannie was introduced as a potential love interest for Brody Morgan (Jackson Heywood). She comes to Summer Bay after Evelyn MacGuire (Philippa Northeast) invites her to play in a volleyball match at the local youth centre.^[27] Bamford told Stephen Downie of TV Week that Jeannie and Brody would form "an unusual relationship".^[27] She also said that she developed a good friendship with Heywood during filming.^[27]

Jeannie sees Brody Morgan drop some barbecue supplies and helps him pick them up. Jeannie signs up for the charity beach volleyball game, and she is paired with Matt Page (Alec Snow). Brody offers Evelyn MacGuire $1000 to play the last match with Jeannie. He later tries to give Jeannie a bracelet he thinks she dropped, but it actually belongs to Matt's sister, Eloise Page (Darcey Wilson). Jeannie then disappears. Days later, she returns for a job interview and comes across Brody on the beach, where she gets him to ask her out for a drink. Brody walks to work in the same direction as Jeannie and she thinks he is following her. She soon learns Brody owns the restaurant where she has her interview. Jeannie leaves when the interview does not go well, but she later returns to start over with Brody, who gives her the job. Brody trains Jeannie on her first day, and they flirt with each other. They share a drink at the end of the day and Jeannie thanks Brody with a kiss on the cheek. When he tries to kiss her back, she shoves him and he tells her to leave.

Jeannie returns to apologise, and while Brody does not fire her, she decides to quit. She tells Evie that she overreacted and that she likes Brody, but did not want to want to jeopardise her job. That night, Jeannie meets Brody at Salt and he offers her the job back. Jeannie accepts and kisses him. They arrange a dinner date at Brody's house. Jeannie turns up in tears and tells Brody that her parents have thrown her out. The following day, Jeannie's father, Randall (Paul Ceaser) turns up at the house looking for her. Once he has calmed down, Jeannie introduces him to Brody. After he leaves, Jeannie tells Brody that her parents are doomsday preppers. Jeannie and Brody agree to date in secret. Randall later follows Jeannie to work and finds her and Brody kissing. Brody ends up insulting Randall and his beliefs. He later apologises to Jeannie and she accepts that her father's ideas can seem strange. They agree to a fresh start, but they fall out again when Brody makes a joke about doomsdays preppers. They decide to stop seeing each other, and Jeannie quits the restaurant for a job in Yabbie Creek.

Others

References

External links

• Characters and cast at the official Home and Away website
• Characters and cast at the Internet Movie Database
• Tori Morgan at the official Home and Away website
• Brody Morgan at the official Home and Away website
• Justin Morgan at the official Home and Away website
• Mason Morgan at the official Home and Away website