List of Home and Away characters (2023)

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 appear in 2023, by order of first appearance. All characters are introduced by the soap's executive producer, Lucy Addario. The 36th season of Home and Away began airing from 9 January 2023.[1] Mali Hudson made his debut in the same week. His sister Elandra was introduced in February. Kahu Parata arrived in April.

Mali Hudson
Mali Hudson
Home and Away character
Portrayed byKyle Shilling
First appearance11 January 2023 (2023-01-11)
ClassificationPresent; regular
Introduced byLucy Addario
In-universe information
OccupationSurfboard shaper
SistersElandra Hudson

Mali Hudson, played by Kyle Shilling, made his first appearance on 11 January 2023.[2] The character and Shilling's casting details were announced on 5 December 2022.[1] Home and Away marks his first television role.[1] Shilling is from the Wiyabal clan of the Bundjalung people. He hoped his casting would serve as inspiration to other Aboriginal viewers, like himself when he was younger.[3] He stated: "If I had seen someone like me on a popular TV show when I was a kid, I would have been more driven as a young person to want to better myself and explore acting. As Indigenous people, we are always categorised as athletes; there was never any other avenue I thought I could go down. When you feel like you’re stereotyped your whole life, that has a huge effect. Looking back on my 10-year-old self, if I had seen someone like Mali Hudson on such a big series, I would have wanted to be him."[3] Upon winning the role, Shilling was told that the writers and producers wanted to work his character around what he did in his audition and who he was.[2] His character and storylines were developed alongside an Aboriginal script consultant, who also helped with the creative decisions for Mali and his introduction.[1]

Shilling described Mali as being "fun, he's cheeky, he cares for his family".[2] It was also teased that Mali has a connection to an established character,[3] which was later confirmed to be Dean Thompson (Patrick O'Connor). The pair are old friends and Shilling commented "You see their friendship blossom again after reconnecting on screen, it's a great story."[2] In his first scenes, it is established that Mali is a surfboard shaper, who helps design and build the surfboards for Dean's shop.[4] Dean introduces Mali to his partner Ziggy Astoni (Sophie Dillman) and John Palmer (Shane Withington), who invites Mali to join the surf lifesaver team. Dean and Ziggy later realise that Mali has "a specific reason" for visiting the Bay, but he keeps it to himself.[4]

Elandra Hudson

Elandra Hudson, played by Rarriwuy Hick, made her first appearance on 28 February 2023.[5] Hick confirmed her casting on her social media on 26 February, writing "The cat's out the bag. Guess who's visiting Summer Bay."[6] Details about her character and storyline were revealed in the 4–10 March 2023 issue of TV Week.[5] Elandra is the sister of Mali Hudson (Kyle Shilling), who was introduced in January. The siblings are reunited when Elandra pays him a visit in Summer Bay, where he has recently moved to. She initially accuses him of moving to the Bay for "a fling" after catching him with Rose Delaney (Kirsty Marillier), who she then invites out to lunch.[5] It emerges that Mali did not tell his family about his move and they want him to come home. However, Rose makes Elandra see what Mali brings to the town and opens up about her feelings for him. After "a heart-to-heart" with Mali, Elandra realises that the Bay is a fresh start for her brother.[5]

Kahu Parata
Kahu Parata
Home and Away character
Portrayed byJordi Webber
First appearance13 April 2023 (2023-04-13)
ClassificationPresent; recurring
Introduced byLucy Addario
In-universe information
First cousinsTane Parata

Kahu Parata, played by Jordi Webber, made his first appearance on 13 April 2023. Webber's casting was confirmed shortly before his first appearance.[7] His character was introduced as a cousin of Tane Parata (Ethan Browne), whose on-screen family had all departed the series.[8] After turning up unexpectedly in Summer Bay Kahu is invited to stay with Tane and his new wife Felicity Newman (Jacqui Purvis), who was hoping their honeymoon period would last longer. However, she welcomes Kahu after seeing how much his presence pleases Tane.[8] In an interview with Tamara Cullen of TV Week, Webber stated "Tane and Kahu have always been close. As soon as they catch up again, they click and jive right where they left off."[8] Kahu later asks for a job at Tane's gym, leaving Felicity to wonder how long he is planning to stay. Purvis said that her character likes Kahu, but she is still in the honeymoon phase and does not want anyone to take Tane away from her. Tane eventually offers Kahu a temporary job at the gym, before learning Kahu has no qualifications as a trainer, which could jeopardise his business.[8] Describing his character, Webber said "Kahu hasn't quite learned the value of honesty, working hard and trust. He has a carefree attitude. He's this cheeky, fun, mischief, surfie, rolling stone who comes into town and brings the music."[8] He found it fun to play out his character's "'no care' attitude".[8] Cullen commented that Kahu could prove to be a "loose cannon" and wondered what his real reason for coming to the Bay was.[8]

Kahu surprises his cousin Tane and his wife Felicity with an unannounced visit to the Bay. He admits that he needs a break and catching up with Tane in New Zealand made him realise how much he missed him. Tane invites Kahu to stay with him and Felicity, interrupting her plans for a romantic evening. In the morning, Kahu tells the couple that he plans to spend the day with Tane, but when Tane says that he needs to find a new trainer for the gym, Kahu offers to take the job.

Others
Date(s) Character Actor Circumstances
12 January–15 March Gabe Miller Akos Armont[9] Mackenzie Booth's former fiancé. Gabe waits for Mack at her restaurant, Salt, but he is asked to leave by Dean Thompson and he realises that she may have seen him. He asks Dean to tell Mack that he just wants to talk. Gabe returns to Salt the following day and meets Mack, who tells him she has nothing to say, before asking him to leave. Gabe waits downstairs in the Surf Club and he eventually persuades Mack to talk. It emerges that Gabe jilted Mack two months before their wedding without leaving an explanation, only a brief note. Gabe explains that Mack's father Rick Booth offered him $50,000 to stay away from her and he accepted. He admits that he regrets taking the money, but Mack refuses to forgive him and tells him to go home.
24 January Jordan Stanford Dylan Hare[10] A Summer Bay Fit client, who takes a class run by Stacey Collingwood. After seeing her talk to Rose Delaney, he asks if all the beautiful women in the Bay know each other, leading Stacey to make the group do more burpees. Jordan walks Stacey up to Salt and gives her his phone number. He asks to buy her a drink, but she tells him that she is dating someone. Jordan says he is also seeing someone, and they arrange to go out to dinner together. Rose later finds the pair in Jordan's car buttoning up their clothes and tells them to move on.
31 January–9 March Izzy Astoni-Thompson Charlie Randall[11]
Atticus Arias		 Ziggy Astoni and Dean Thompson's newborn daughter.[12] Ziggy briefly suffers from postpartum depression following the birth. She and Dean later announce that they have named their daughter Isabella "Izzy" Astoni-Thompson.
16–28 March Paramedic Jamie Chung Hugo Liu[13] Xander Delaney's partner. The pair stop for a coffee break and are talking with Mali Hudson when Jamie notices Brock trying to break into their ambulance. He gives chase, but Brock runs off. A couple of weeks later, Xander and Jamie are called out to a remote location to treat a patient. Brock appears and Jamie then notices two other men behind them with weapons. The pair are attacked for the drugs in the ambulance and Jamie dies at the scene.
16–30 March Brock Ben Corlett[14] A man who tries to break into the back of Xander Delaney and Jamie Chung's ambulance. A couple of weeks later, Brock and two of his friends ambush Xander and Jamie. They attack them and steal the drugs from the ambulance. Jamie dies at the scene, while Xander is hospitalised.
16–21 March Conor Tom Dawson[15] A surfer, who notices Ava Gilbert arguing with Theo Poulos. He asks Ava if Theo is hassling her and she confirms that he is, before asking Conor if he will give her a lift. When they stop at the beach, Ava apologises for being a mess and Conor asks her what was happening with Theo. She explains that he is her boyfriend, or ex-boyfriend, and asks if she can hang around his camper van. Conor says she can while he goes for a surf and tells her that her phone has been going off. When he returns, Conor asks Ava if her parents will be worried, and then tells her that she cannot stay in the van forever, as he is moving down the coast. After returning from the showers, Conor is dressing when Ava's father Justin Morgan turns up and punches him in the face. He continues to attack Conor and accuses him of touching Ava. Another surfer holds Justin back, until the police arrive and arrest him. Conor is taken to the hospital and Justin is later charged for assaulting him.
28 March Nurse Addie Oscar Lin[16] The nurse helps Bree Cameron treat Xander Delaney, after he is brought in with blunt force trauma.
25 April– Robbie Lachlan Engeler[17] A young man who turns up late for community service work cleaning out a house. Robbie notices that Justin Morgan seems friendly with their supervisor Constable Cash Newman. He asks Justin to have a word with Cash about going easy on the group, but Justin wants nothing to do with it. He then complains about Cash giving Justin a scheduled break. Robbie later finds some copper wire and asks Justin to store it in his truck for later, but Justin tells him to back off. He then tells Cash to keep an eye on Justin, so he can hide the wire. Justin later sees Robbie take and pocket a watch from an old suitcase. Robbie offers to cut Justin in on a deal with the wire, but Justin tells him he is not interested. Justin then asks Robbie why he is there and tells him to take the hint and not stuff up again. Cash asks Robbie to go and clean up a pile of rubbish, which riles Robbie up and he says he wants to make an official complaint against Cash for bullying and harassment. Justin tells him that if he goes through with it, he will tell the police about the wire and the watch. At the end of the day, Cash gives Robbie the email address for his complaint, but Robbie says that he was just winding him up.
27 April– Andrew Lawrence Joshua Hewson[18] A boy who notices a group of people carrying out community service work nearby and puts a note asking for help in Justin Morgan's rucksack. When Justin returns to the neighbourhood, he locates Andrew's house and finds Andrew passed out on the floor. Andrew is brought to Northern Districts Hospital, where he is combative with the doctor, Bree Cameron, until Justin turns up and assures him that she just wants to help. Bree finds that Andrew is severely dehydrated and undernourished. Justin gets him to open up about his name and age, but Andrew says he should not be talking to him and that he is not allowed to go outside. He refuses to tell anyone who or where his parents are, while insisting that he needs to go home. Andrew is seen by a phycologist, whose assessment says he has issues with his social and educational development. Rather than see Andrew sent to a group home, Justin and his partner Leah Patterson decide to foster him. The police search Andrew's house and find that another man was living with him at some point and they may have been living off the grid for months. When Justin mentions the other man to Andrew, he becomes desperate to go home. Andrew later hears Justin playing his guitar and reveals that he likes music.

References
  1. Kearney, Georgie (5 December 2022). "New Home and Away cast member revealed". 7Entertainment. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  2. Morton, Nadine (7 December 2022). "Home and Away: Kyle Shilling is show's first Indigenous actor". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  3. Stoelwinder, Jessie (5 December 2022). "Aboriginal actor Kyle Shilling joins cast of Home and Away as Mali Hudson". PerthNow. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  4. Kilkelly, Daniel (11 January 2023). "Home and Away airs newcomer Mali Hudson's first scenes as his connection to Dean is revealed". Digital Spy. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  5. Cullen, Tamara (4–10 March 2023). "Love and loss". TV Week. No. 10. pp. 4–5.
  6. Anderton, Joe (27 February 2023). "Home and Away to bring in Mali Hudson's sister". Digital Spy. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  7. Kilkelly, Daniel (13 April 2023). "Home and Away reveals another problem for Tane and Felicity's relationship". Digital Spy. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  8. Cullen, Tamara (22–28 April 2023). "Cyclone Kahu". TV Week. No. 17. pp. 4–5.
  9. Kilkelly, Daniel (16 January 2023). "Home and Away introduces new character for Mackenzie Booth storyline". Digital Spy. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  10. "Dylan Hare" (PDF). Lisa Mann Creative Management. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  11. Kearney, Georgie (7 February 2023). "Home and Away baby revelation leaves fans stunned". 7NEWS. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  12. Rowan, Iona (1 February 2023). "Home and Away reveals emotional baby storyline for Ziggy Astoni". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  13. "Home and Away: Death hits Summer Bay". TV Week. 27 March 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  14. Series producer: Lucy Addario; Director: David Caesar; Writer: Andrew Osborne (16 March 2023). "Episode 7995". Home and Away. Seven Network.
  15. "Tom Dawson". Independent Management Company. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  16. Series producer: Lucy Addario; Director: Chris Martin-Jones; Writer: Holly Lyons (28 March 2023). "Episode 8001". Home and Away. Seven Network.
  17. "Lachlan Engeler". Showcast. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  18. Ellis, Scott (29 April – 5 May 2023). "About a boy". TV Week. No. 18. p. 5.
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