Will Smith (Home and Away)
Encyclopedia
Will Smith is a fictional character
from the Australian soap opera
Home and Away
, played by Zac Drayson
. He made his first on-screen appearance on 13 February 1998. Will was a regular on the show from 1998 to 2002. He continued to make frequent guest appearances until 2005. In 2010, it was announced that the character and Drayson would be returning to the show. Will returned to the Bay with his daughter on 14 October 2010. On the 7th February 2011, Will was finally revealed to be have been the murderer of Penn Graham after a long running storyline.
(Kimberley Cooper
). Drayson made occasional guest appearances in the show from 2003 to 2005.
In September 2010, it was revealed that Drayson had reprised his role of Will and would be returning to Home and Away. Drayson revealed that a friend of his is a producer on the show and asked him about coming back. Drayson has said that he is going to be around for a while, but he is not signed for three or four years. Will arrives in town with his daughter, Lily (Charlie Rose Maclennan), to visit his former foster mother, Irene Roberts
(Lynne McGranger
) after his marriage suffers problems. On his character's return, Drayson said "He and Gypsy are going through a rough patch, so he comes home to clear his head. They're not divorced - they're just having a break." He added "Being back is great, it really did feel like coming home."
(Rebecca Hewitt) and Nick
(Chris Egan). Will learns to calm down and when he decides to leave the Bay he was, by then, considered a "good bloke". Will worked for Alf Stewart
(Ray Meagher
) and he managed to get his coxswain's licence. He also had a close relationship with Irene Roberts and he and his siblings lived with her at the Beach House.
When Will returns in 2010, his marriage to Gypsy Nash
(Kimberley Cooper
) has broken down as they began drifting apart. Will decides to go back to Summer Bay and spend time with Irene. Will is now described as a "loving father" who would do anything for his daughter, Lily. However, his temper occasionally gets the better of him. On playing Will, Drayson said "I love playing Will and I think there is something new in Will, he's a bit rougher around the edges, he's a lot more confused and gets into more trouble. I think he tries really hard to be a good Dad, but he gets lost in his own things like most humans do I suppose."
When Penn Graham (Christian Clark
) is murdered, Will becomes a suspect. He later tells Robert Robertson (Socrottis Otto) that Alf might be responsible. However Will knows more than he was letting on so he runs away, describing Will ordeal Drayson states: "Will knows more about Penn Graham's death than meets the eye, he lied about Alf being involved, though we don't yet know what his motives are. It could be that he's covering up for himself or someone else, or it could be something totally different - but he's certainly got something to hide." Irene tries to convince Will to do the right thing, but he cannot think clear, describing Will's state of mind during the storyline Drayson adds: "Will is under a lot of pressure and not thinking clearly, he doesn't know what lies in store, and is on a real downward spiral. He has some tough choices to make in the hours ahead. Lilly means everything to Will, He's trying to be a good dad, but unfortunately doesn't go about it the right way. He's way out of his depth, basically"
(Anthony Phelan) was an alcoholic and his mother Eve was violent and ended up in a mental home. After running away from a foster home and ending up on the streets, Will met up with Damian Roberts and learned that his mother Irene was in the habit of taking in children. He then headed to Summer Bay and turned up on Irene's doorstep, claiming Damian had said he could stay.
Will wanted to reunite his family, specifically his younger siblings Hayley and Nick. To this end, he began trying to clear Irene's house, encouraging Chloe Richards
(Kristy Wright
) to move in with her boyfriend James Fraser (Michael Piccirilli) and trying to drive a rift between Irene and Joey Rainbow (Alex O'Han) by telling them both that the other had been badmouthing them. In fact, Hayley and Nick were quite happy in foster care. Will apologised for his actions and agreed to stay on at Irene's house.
He wasn't entirely happy that a condition of his stay was that he go back to school. He quickly became good friends with his classmate Sam Marshall
(Ryan Clark
); other close friends included Mitch McColl
(Cameron Welsh
), Edward Dunglass (Stephen James King) and, much later, Noah Lawson
(Beau Brady
). He also quickly noticed Gypsy, although their relationship was hampered by the fact that her father, Joel Nash
(David Woodley), was the new PE teacher and clashed with Will on his first day. Joel soon began to warm to Will and encouraged him to try out for the school javelin team. Annoyed at the idea of her boyfriend and her father being friends, Gypsy told Will that Joel was only interested in him because he could win him trophies, so Will deliberately got himself disqualified from a competition. He and Joel eventually ironed out their differences, especially when Joel helped clear him when he was falsely accused of robbing a stallholder, and struck up something of a mentor-pupil relationship. Years later, when Joel was injured in a landslide, Will held an all-night vigil at his bedside.
Will's relationship with Gypsy proved somewhat scatty, with them both being hauled over the coals when they were locked in the school overnight after sneaking away at a concert. When he seemed dismissive after their first attempt at sleeping together, she was upset and furious to see him hanging around with a new girl-who turned out to be Hayley, his sister, who had tired of her foster parents and decided to come and live with him.
Will was around when Joey was diagnosed with schizophrenia
and helped cope with the fallout. When Irene had to go away, Will, Hayley and Joey all ended up staying with Ailsa Stewart
(Judy Nunn
). Around this time, Nick made his first visit to the Bay. Will failed to prevent him being beaten up by some drug dealers he owed money to but did help persuade his foster parents not to give up on him. When Ailsa's son Duncan Stewart
(Brendan McKensy) framed Joey for taking a knife and she asked him to leave, Will insisted on going with him, although he wasn't so convinced about Joey's state of mind to let Hayley come with them, until she realised what Duncan had done.
While out bush walking, Will, Gypsy, Hayley and Sam ended up being taken hostage by Murray, a drifter who had recently robbed the Diner. Will turned down a chance to escape when it meant leaving Gypsy behind and convinced Murray to give himself up. Gypsy was impressed by his behaviour, and his admission he loved her, but before they could do anything he left to visit Nick in the city. By the time he came back, Gypsy was seeing her older lecturer, Robert Perez.Will and Gypsy's brother Tom were suspicious of Robert and uncovered evidence that he was actually criminal David DiAngelo, after revenge on Joel, just too late to stop him abducting Gypsy. After she was rescued, Will helped her deal with her experiences and, on discovering she had a drink problem, proved mature enough to let her mother Natalie Nash
(Antoinette Byron) know about it.
Soon after, Will found himself attracted to Peta Janossi (Aleetza Wood), The pair started dating and Will helped cover for her upon learning her grandmother had died and she and her brother were living alone, until Irene found out and arranged for Peta to stay with Joel and Natalie. However, Will was clearly still hung up on Gypsy; when most of the Bay's teens went joyriding in a car belonging to Irene's boyfriend Anthony Doyle, he covered for her but not the others. In the end, he and Peta broke up and he got back together with Gypsy.
Will was annoyed to find Hayley had a romanticised version of their drunk father and even more so when Ken turned up in person. He was concerned when Ken started seeing Irene and, when he started drinking again, Will and Hayley forced him to leave until he was better. He returned some months later, having sobered up, and even succeeded where Will had failed in bringing Nick to live with them. Will eventually accepted Ken had changed and the pair struck up a close relationship.
When he learned Gypsy had been cheating on him with rich kid Charlie Nicholas, Will was furious and vandalised the school field with a motorbike. He ended up being given community service for the crime and while serving his sentence met a girl named Sandy, who turned out to be Ayisha King, a neglected rich girl who was squatting in her parents' summer house. She returned some months later, heavily pregnant and expecting Will to be a father to the baby. He let her know he only saw her as a friend and she ended up leaving with Sam instead.
Will next set his sights on Dani Sutherland (Tammin Sursok
), although their relationship was hampered when Tara Mills, a girl from school who was being bullied by her fitness mad father, became convinced Will was her boyfriend after he stepped in to help her. Meanwhile, Ken had got engaged to Irene and asked Will to be his best man. Will started helping Ken out at his garage but left him alone while he talked to Dani. He returned to find a jack had given way and Ken had been crushed under the car. Ken died in his arms and he was distressed to learn he had caused (or, more likely, hastened) his death by taking the car off him.
Will had promised Ken he would look after the family so chose to leave school and get a job as Alf Stewart's
(Ray Meagher
) deck hand. He also began trying to be a father figure to Hayley and Nick, coming down hard on them until Irene persuaded him to cut it out. His relationship with Dani hit a rough patch when she became jealous of him spending time with Gypsy. When they split, he and Gypsy slept together. He ended up going back to Dani and supported her when she was raped by Kane Phillips
(Sam Atwell
), although he was forced to admit in court that Dani had said it wasn't Kane's fault, which may have contributed to his acquittal.
When Will learned Gypsy was pregnant, he asked her if he was the father but she told him he wasn't. It took five months for him to realise she had lied, after finding she kept a photo of them together alongside her ultrasound picture. It couldn't have come at a worse time as Will was about to leave for London
with his family to attend the launch of the book that Hayley had illustrated and Donald Fisher had written. When he came back, it was all around town, partly because Dani had overheard an answerphone message he left Gypsy. He and Dani tried to make a go of things but eventually they split up for good.
Will and Gypsy found their feelings re-emerging and she ended up moving in with him. After he delivered their daughter Lily at the roadside, he proposed to her and she accepted. Soon after, Will briefly went missing during a storm. Having passed his cox's licence, he decided to take a job in Queensland
, meaning they could be near Gypsy's family. With no time to get a marriage licence, Will and Gypsy had an unofficial wedding for their friends in Summer Bay before their departure, getting married for real in Queensland later.
Will continued to be a presence on the show, with both Nick and Jesse McGregor
(Ben Unwin
) seen visiting him in Queensland. He returned to the Bay in 2003 when he and Gypsy were having problems and showed an interest in getting back with Dani, who by then was seeing Scott Hunter
(Kip Gamblin
). He was horrified to find Kane back in the Bay and seemingly accepted by Irene and everyone else, an attitude he never lost. In the end, he decided to make a go of things with Gypsy.
He returned again in 2004 for Hayley's wedding to Noah, where he revealed to Jesse that his daughter Rachel, who had been staying with the Nashes, had asked him and Gypsy to adopt her. After mulling it over, Jesse agreed. He returned twice in 2005, once for Alf's 60th birthday and then again for Hayley's abortive wedding to Kim Hyde
(Chris Hemsworth
).
Will returns to the Bay with his daughter, Lily. Penn Graham (Christian Clark
) is murdered and Will is eventually revealed to have committed the crime. Will stabbed Penn in self defence.
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the Australian soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Home and Away
Home and Away
Home and Away is an Australian soap opera that has been produced in Sydney since July 1987 and is airing on the Seven Network since 17 January 1988. It is the second-longest-running drama and most popular soap opera on Australian television...
, played by Zac Drayson
Zac Drayson
Zac Drayson is an Australian actor.He is best known for the role of Will Smith, one of Irene Roberts' many foster children in the soap opera Home and Away...
. He made his first on-screen appearance on 13 February 1998. Will was a regular on the show from 1998 to 2002. He continued to make frequent guest appearances until 2005. In 2010, it was announced that the character and Drayson would be returning to the show. Will returned to the Bay with his daughter on 14 October 2010. On the 7th February 2011, Will was finally revealed to be have been the murderer of Penn Graham after a long running storyline.
Casting
Drayson played Will for four years from 1998. The character left Summer Bay after marrying Gypsy NashGypsy Nash
Gypsy Smith is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Kimberley Cooper. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 18 February 1998...
(Kimberley Cooper
Kimberley Cooper
Kimberley Cooper, in Sydney New South Wales, is an Australian actress who played Gypsy Smith in Home and Away . Cooper won the Logie Award for Most Popular New Talent on Australian television in 1999 and the Best Aussie Actress for The Inside Soap Awards, UK, 2000...
). Drayson made occasional guest appearances in the show from 2003 to 2005.
In September 2010, it was revealed that Drayson had reprised his role of Will and would be returning to Home and Away. Drayson revealed that a friend of his is a producer on the show and asked him about coming back. Drayson has said that he is going to be around for a while, but he is not signed for three or four years. Will arrives in town with his daughter, Lily (Charlie Rose Maclennan), to visit his former foster mother, Irene Roberts
Irene Roberts
Irene Roberts is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Lynne McGranger. She was previously played by actress Jacqui Phillips from 1991 until 1992 when McGranger took over the role. Irene was originally a recurring character, in 1993 McGranger...
(Lynne McGranger
Lynne McGranger
Lynne McGranger is an Australian actress best known for her role as Irene Roberts on soap opera Home and Away. She is the second-longest serving cast member as she joined in 1992 in the show at the moment, taking over from Jacqui Phillips.-Life and career:McGranger was originally a primary school...
) after his marriage suffers problems. On his character's return, Drayson said "He and Gypsy are going through a rough patch, so he comes home to clear his head. They're not divorced - they're just having a break." He added "Being back is great, it really did feel like coming home."
Character development
Will was originally descried as a "hot-tempered trouble maker" who arrives in the Bay to reconnect with his siblings, HayleyHayley Smith (Home and Away)
Hayley Rose Hunter is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away. She was portrayed from September 1998 to September 2005 by actress Bec Cartwright and from September to November 2005 by Ella Scott Lynch, after Cartwright left the show for personal...
(Rebecca Hewitt) and Nick
Nick Smith (Home and Away)
Nicholas "Nick" Smith is a fictional character in the Australian soap opera Home and Away. He had a short guest stint on the show in 1999, played by Matt Guarez, and was then brought back as a regular in 2000 played by actor Chris Egan, staying with the show until 2003.- Background :Nick was the...
(Chris Egan). Will learns to calm down and when he decides to leave the Bay he was, by then, considered a "good bloke". Will worked for Alf Stewart
Alf Stewart
Alfred Douglas "Alf" Stewart is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Ray Meagher. The character debuted on-screen during the serial's pilot episode on 17 January 1988...
(Ray Meagher
Ray Meagher
Ray Meagher surname pronouned "Marr" , is a veteran Australian character actor. He has appeared regularly in Australian film and television since the mid 1970s, and is notable as the longest continuing performer in an Australian television role, as Alf Stewart on Home and Away, having played the...
) and he managed to get his coxswain's licence. He also had a close relationship with Irene Roberts and he and his siblings lived with her at the Beach House.
When Will returns in 2010, his marriage to Gypsy Nash
Gypsy Nash
Gypsy Smith is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Kimberley Cooper. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 18 February 1998...
(Kimberley Cooper
Kimberley Cooper
Kimberley Cooper, in Sydney New South Wales, is an Australian actress who played Gypsy Smith in Home and Away . Cooper won the Logie Award for Most Popular New Talent on Australian television in 1999 and the Best Aussie Actress for The Inside Soap Awards, UK, 2000...
) has broken down as they began drifting apart. Will decides to go back to Summer Bay and spend time with Irene. Will is now described as a "loving father" who would do anything for his daughter, Lily. However, his temper occasionally gets the better of him. On playing Will, Drayson said "I love playing Will and I think there is something new in Will, he's a bit rougher around the edges, he's a lot more confused and gets into more trouble. I think he tries really hard to be a good Dad, but he gets lost in his own things like most humans do I suppose."
When Penn Graham (Christian Clark
Christian Clark
Christian Clark is an Australian actor. He appeared in the role of Will Griggs in the Network Ten soap opera Neighbours from 2006 to 2007...
) is murdered, Will becomes a suspect. He later tells Robert Robertson (Socrottis Otto) that Alf might be responsible. However Will knows more than he was letting on so he runs away, describing Will ordeal Drayson states: "Will knows more about Penn Graham's death than meets the eye, he lied about Alf being involved, though we don't yet know what his motives are. It could be that he's covering up for himself or someone else, or it could be something totally different - but he's certainly got something to hide." Irene tries to convince Will to do the right thing, but he cannot think clear, describing Will's state of mind during the storyline Drayson adds: "Will is under a lot of pressure and not thinking clearly, he doesn't know what lies in store, and is on a real downward spiral. He has some tough choices to make in the hours ahead. Lilly means everything to Will, He's trying to be a good dad, but unfortunately doesn't go about it the right way. He's way out of his depth, basically"
Storylines
Will came from a broken home, his father KenKen Smith (Home and Away)
Ken Smith is a fictional character on the Australian soap opera Home and Away as a regular from 1999 to 2000 but made returns as a ghost in 2001, 2003 and 2004. The character was played by actor Anthony Phelan....
(Anthony Phelan) was an alcoholic and his mother Eve was violent and ended up in a mental home. After running away from a foster home and ending up on the streets, Will met up with Damian Roberts and learned that his mother Irene was in the habit of taking in children. He then headed to Summer Bay and turned up on Irene's doorstep, claiming Damian had said he could stay.
Will wanted to reunite his family, specifically his younger siblings Hayley and Nick. To this end, he began trying to clear Irene's house, encouraging Chloe Richards
Chloe Richards
Chloe Richards is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Kristy Wright. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 28 June 1995. Chloe left in 1999, making a short return stint in 2005 when she died from the resulting injuries of a car...
(Kristy Wright
Kristy Wright
Kristy Wright is an Australian actress.Wright was born in Sydney, Australia, the oldest child in her family, with three stepbrothers and two half-sisters. Hoping to win a contest for acting lessons, she sent in her photograph and ended up with a full year's paid tuition...
) to move in with her boyfriend James Fraser (Michael Piccirilli) and trying to drive a rift between Irene and Joey Rainbow (Alex O'Han) by telling them both that the other had been badmouthing them. In fact, Hayley and Nick were quite happy in foster care. Will apologised for his actions and agreed to stay on at Irene's house.
He wasn't entirely happy that a condition of his stay was that he go back to school. He quickly became good friends with his classmate Sam Marshall
Sam Marshall
Sam Marshall is a fictional character in the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by actor Ryan Clark between 1991 and 2000. He returned for short stints in 2001, 2002 and 2005.-Character:...
(Ryan Clark
Ryan Clark (actor)
Ryan James Clark is an Australian television actor.He is best known for his role as Sam Marshall in the Seven Network soap opera Home and Away and his appearances on Bondi Rescue. In 1991, Clark joined the cast of Home and Away as Sam Marshall when he was eight years old...
); other close friends included Mitch McColl
Mitch McColl
Mitchell "Mitch" McColl is a fictional character in the Australian soap opera Home and Away. He was portrayed by actor Cameron Welsh. He debuted on 15 July 1999 and departed on 9 March 2001. When Welsh fell ill in 2000, Mitchell McMahon took over the role temporarily...
(Cameron Welsh
Cameron Welsh
Cameron Welsh is an Australian actor, writer, producer and director, best known for his role as Mitch McColl on Australian soap opera Home and Away from 1999 until 2001. He was nominated for a Logie Award in 2000 for Most Popular New Male Talent...
), Edward Dunglass (Stephen James King) and, much later, Noah Lawson
Noah Lawson
Noah Lawson is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Beau Brady. The character debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 6 September 2000.-Characterization:...
(Beau Brady
Beau Brady
Beau Brady is an Australian actor, best known for his role as Noah Lawson on the drama Home and Away.-Biography:Brady was educated at Oakhill College in Castle Hill, Sydney....
). He also quickly noticed Gypsy, although their relationship was hampered by the fact that her father, Joel Nash
Joel Nash
Joel Nash is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away. Portrayed by actor David Woodley, he was a regular on the show from 1998 until 2000.-Character's background:...
(David Woodley), was the new PE teacher and clashed with Will on his first day. Joel soon began to warm to Will and encouraged him to try out for the school javelin team. Annoyed at the idea of her boyfriend and her father being friends, Gypsy told Will that Joel was only interested in him because he could win him trophies, so Will deliberately got himself disqualified from a competition. He and Joel eventually ironed out their differences, especially when Joel helped clear him when he was falsely accused of robbing a stallholder, and struck up something of a mentor-pupil relationship. Years later, when Joel was injured in a landslide, Will held an all-night vigil at his bedside.
Will's relationship with Gypsy proved somewhat scatty, with them both being hauled over the coals when they were locked in the school overnight after sneaking away at a concert. When he seemed dismissive after their first attempt at sleeping together, she was upset and furious to see him hanging around with a new girl-who turned out to be Hayley, his sister, who had tired of her foster parents and decided to come and live with him.
Will was around when Joey was diagnosed with schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
and helped cope with the fallout. When Irene had to go away, Will, Hayley and Joey all ended up staying with Ailsa Stewart
Ailsa Stewart
Ailsa Stewart is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away. She was married to Alf Stewart and had a son Duncan. She was played by actress Judy Nunn for 13 and a half years...
(Judy Nunn
Judy Nunn
Judy Nunn is an Australian actress and author.-Acting career:Her breakout role was as the scheming bisexual reporter Vicky Stafford in the risque soap opera The Box. Her character became a popular cult figure in the series. Nunn continued in the role for the show's entire 1974–1977 run...
). Around this time, Nick made his first visit to the Bay. Will failed to prevent him being beaten up by some drug dealers he owed money to but did help persuade his foster parents not to give up on him. When Ailsa's son Duncan Stewart
Duncan Stewart (Home and Away)
Duncan Stewart is a fictional character on the Australian soap opera Home and Away, the son of Alf and Ailsa. The character was portrayed by first by actress Allana Ellis in 1989 and was born in the episode airing on 9 June 1989. Actor Lewis Devaney portrayed Duncan from 1990 to 1998. Brendan...
(Brendan McKensy) framed Joey for taking a knife and she asked him to leave, Will insisted on going with him, although he wasn't so convinced about Joey's state of mind to let Hayley come with them, until she realised what Duncan had done.
While out bush walking, Will, Gypsy, Hayley and Sam ended up being taken hostage by Murray, a drifter who had recently robbed the Diner. Will turned down a chance to escape when it meant leaving Gypsy behind and convinced Murray to give himself up. Gypsy was impressed by his behaviour, and his admission he loved her, but before they could do anything he left to visit Nick in the city. By the time he came back, Gypsy was seeing her older lecturer, Robert Perez.Will and Gypsy's brother Tom were suspicious of Robert and uncovered evidence that he was actually criminal David DiAngelo, after revenge on Joel, just too late to stop him abducting Gypsy. After she was rescued, Will helped her deal with her experiences and, on discovering she had a drink problem, proved mature enough to let her mother Natalie Nash
Natalie Nash
Natalie "Nat" Nash is a fictional character from the Australian Seven Network soap opera Home and Away, played by Antoinette Byron. She made her first on-screen appearance on 18 February 1998. Natalie was originally played by Angelica la Bozzetta until her departure in 1998...
(Antoinette Byron) know about it.
Soon after, Will found himself attracted to Peta Janossi (Aleetza Wood), The pair started dating and Will helped cover for her upon learning her grandmother had died and she and her brother were living alone, until Irene found out and arranged for Peta to stay with Joel and Natalie. However, Will was clearly still hung up on Gypsy; when most of the Bay's teens went joyriding in a car belonging to Irene's boyfriend Anthony Doyle, he covered for her but not the others. In the end, he and Peta broke up and he got back together with Gypsy.
Will was annoyed to find Hayley had a romanticised version of their drunk father and even more so when Ken turned up in person. He was concerned when Ken started seeing Irene and, when he started drinking again, Will and Hayley forced him to leave until he was better. He returned some months later, having sobered up, and even succeeded where Will had failed in bringing Nick to live with them. Will eventually accepted Ken had changed and the pair struck up a close relationship.
When he learned Gypsy had been cheating on him with rich kid Charlie Nicholas, Will was furious and vandalised the school field with a motorbike. He ended up being given community service for the crime and while serving his sentence met a girl named Sandy, who turned out to be Ayisha King, a neglected rich girl who was squatting in her parents' summer house. She returned some months later, heavily pregnant and expecting Will to be a father to the baby. He let her know he only saw her as a friend and she ended up leaving with Sam instead.
Will next set his sights on Dani Sutherland (Tammin Sursok
Tammin Sursok
Tammin Pamela Sursok is an Australian actress and musician of South African origin. She is best known for the role of Dani Sutherland on Home and Away, as Colleen Carlton on The Young and the Restless and as Siena in Disney Channel's Hannah Montana...
), although their relationship was hampered when Tara Mills, a girl from school who was being bullied by her fitness mad father, became convinced Will was her boyfriend after he stepped in to help her. Meanwhile, Ken had got engaged to Irene and asked Will to be his best man. Will started helping Ken out at his garage but left him alone while he talked to Dani. He returned to find a jack had given way and Ken had been crushed under the car. Ken died in his arms and he was distressed to learn he had caused (or, more likely, hastened) his death by taking the car off him.
Will had promised Ken he would look after the family so chose to leave school and get a job as Alf Stewart's
Alf Stewart
Alfred Douglas "Alf" Stewart is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Ray Meagher. The character debuted on-screen during the serial's pilot episode on 17 January 1988...
(Ray Meagher
Ray Meagher
Ray Meagher surname pronouned "Marr" , is a veteran Australian character actor. He has appeared regularly in Australian film and television since the mid 1970s, and is notable as the longest continuing performer in an Australian television role, as Alf Stewart on Home and Away, having played the...
) deck hand. He also began trying to be a father figure to Hayley and Nick, coming down hard on them until Irene persuaded him to cut it out. His relationship with Dani hit a rough patch when she became jealous of him spending time with Gypsy. When they split, he and Gypsy slept together. He ended up going back to Dani and supported her when she was raped by Kane Phillips
Kane Phillips
Kane Phillips is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Sam Atwell in 2001 and 2002, as a regular cast member from 2003 to 2005 and on a recurring basis again from 2008–2009-2001-05:...
(Sam Atwell
Sam Atwell
Samuel Atwell is an Australian television and movie actor perhaps best known for his role as Kane Phillips in the soap opera Home and Away. Born in Nambour, Queensland, he and his family lived in Indonesia for 6 years before returning to Queensland where he grew up in Brisbane...
), although he was forced to admit in court that Dani had said it wasn't Kane's fault, which may have contributed to his acquittal.
When Will learned Gypsy was pregnant, he asked her if he was the father but she told him he wasn't. It took five months for him to realise she had lied, after finding she kept a photo of them together alongside her ultrasound picture. It couldn't have come at a worse time as Will was about to leave for London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
with his family to attend the launch of the book that Hayley had illustrated and Donald Fisher had written. When he came back, it was all around town, partly because Dani had overheard an answerphone message he left Gypsy. He and Dani tried to make a go of things but eventually they split up for good.
Will and Gypsy found their feelings re-emerging and she ended up moving in with him. After he delivered their daughter Lily at the roadside, he proposed to her and she accepted. Soon after, Will briefly went missing during a storm. Having passed his cox's licence, he decided to take a job in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, meaning they could be near Gypsy's family. With no time to get a marriage licence, Will and Gypsy had an unofficial wedding for their friends in Summer Bay before their departure, getting married for real in Queensland later.
Will continued to be a presence on the show, with both Nick and Jesse McGregor
Jesse McGregor
Jesse McGregor is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away. The character was played by actor Ben Unwin between 1996 and 2000 and again between 2002 and 2005.-1996-2000:...
(Ben Unwin
Ben Unwin
Ben Unwin is an Australian actor. He is best known for portraying the character Jesse McGregor on the Australian soap opera Home and Away from 1996 to 2000 and 2002 to 2005....
) seen visiting him in Queensland. He returned to the Bay in 2003 when he and Gypsy were having problems and showed an interest in getting back with Dani, who by then was seeing Scott Hunter
Scott Hunter (Home and Away)
Scott John Hunter is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Kip Gamblin. He made his first on-screen appearance on 23 January 2003. The character was riding a white horse onto the beach, where he was spotted by Dani Sutherland...
(Kip Gamblin
Kip Gamblin
-Career:Gamblin trained as a ballet dancer at the The McDonald College of Performing Arts, Sydney and completed his training at the Australian Ballet School, Melbourne. He performed with the Australian Ballet, the West Australian Ballet and the Sydney Dance Company between 1994 and 2002, and had...
). He was horrified to find Kane back in the Bay and seemingly accepted by Irene and everyone else, an attitude he never lost. In the end, he decided to make a go of things with Gypsy.
He returned again in 2004 for Hayley's wedding to Noah, where he revealed to Jesse that his daughter Rachel, who had been staying with the Nashes, had asked him and Gypsy to adopt her. After mulling it over, Jesse agreed. He returned twice in 2005, once for Alf's 60th birthday and then again for Hayley's abortive wedding to Kim Hyde
Kim Hyde
Kimberly Jonathan "Kim" Hyde is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Chris Hemsworth. He made his first on screen appearance on 17 February 2004 and departed on 3 July 2007.-Casting:...
(Chris Hemsworth
Chris Hemsworth
Chris Hemsworth is an Australian actor most notable for portraying Thor in the Marvel Studios film Thor. Hemsworth is set to reprise his role as Thor in the upcoming films The Avengers in 2012 and Thor 2 in 2013. He also starred as Kim Hyde in the Australian soap opera Home and Away...
).
Will returns to the Bay with his daughter, Lily. Penn Graham (Christian Clark
Christian Clark
Christian Clark is an Australian actor. He appeared in the role of Will Griggs in the Network Ten soap opera Neighbours from 2006 to 2007...
) is murdered and Will is eventually revealed to have committed the crime. Will stabbed Penn in self defence.