Jack Wilson

Following 15 year old Jack’s mother taking a turn, and his step-father being retrenched, the Department of Child Services got involved with the family. They approached Pippa about fostering Jack to help him get back on his feet. Pippa was enthused, but Michael was against the idea, with money woes due to Haydn’s gambling debts. However, after Sally guilted him, Michael agreed to have Jack move in with them. When he arrived, Jack was sheepish and immediately got the wrong idea about his new foster father due to Sally’s gripe with him about supporting Haydn. After enrolling in school, Jack quickly made an enemy of Shane when he let on to Fisher that Shane had told him about his and Irene’s date. To get revenge, Shane and Damian put Jack in their boot to smuggle him into a late-night movie at the drive-in, but he became trapped when the key broke. When Jack realised he was going to miss a homework deadline, he pulled the fire alarm at the school, which Shane saw. He was quickly blackmailed into helping Shane was a punishment set by Fisher, but dobbed himself in to get out of Shane’s clutches.

Seeing the tension between Shane and Jack, Fisher organised for Shane to be his mentor, in exchange for a reference when he goes for a job. Jack was furious by the arrangement, but in retaliation, made a move on Angel. It proved futile, but it didn’t stop him trying to reconcile Angel and Sarah, who had been fighting over a story Angel wrote. As Jack set his sights on whisking Angel away from Shane, it became apparent that the feud between he and Shane would only intensify. Shane eventually tricked Jack into sneaking into Angel’s bedroom, but rather gave him the details for Fisher’s bedroom. Jack tried to hide the truth, but was discovered by Fisher whilst whispering in class. This also led to Shane and Angel splitting up.

Realising that a dog could help him get the attention of girls, Jack fostered a golden labrador whom he named Aftershave. Whilst going on a date, Jack stowed Aftershave in the general store, but a miscommunication led to him being locked in there overnight. Worried about Alf finding him, Jack got the keys from Tug and found he’d made a mess. In the process of cleaning it up, Jack was almost sprung by Alf, later coming clean and begging Alf to keep Tug in his employ. Michael blew up at Jack, believing he’d been nothing but trouble since his arrival. A few days before he was supposed to return him, Pippa informed him that he was going to be staying with them indefinitely. Jack blamed his step-father, who had given his mother an ultimatum: either he stays or Jack returns and he leaves. Jack decided to stay with the Rosses as a result.

Jack found himself the object of Selina’s affections as she asked him to be her partner at the debutante ball. At the ball, they try to find some time alone to enjoy kissing, however their actions lead to Irene’s dress being ruined by paint. Selina then refuses to talk to Jack, due to his attitude towards her. She forgave him and the pair engaged in a short-lived romance until she was forced to leave town with her parents. After ruining Damian’s shoes, Jack was forced to find $50 to pay for a new pair. He sold Steven’s bike, leading to him having to pay $100 to get it back. He searched for odd jobs to pay the debt, including painting the surf club. However, after a blow-up with Alf, where Jack called him a Nazi, a vandal spray-painted that Alf was a Nazi on the club. Jack struggled to prove his innocence, but was eventually vindicated and Jack offered him a job. His antics continued when he used a cheap stain to fix the tables at the diner, which ruined Ailsa and Fisher’s clothing. His working at Ailsa’s to repay his debt resulted in another dress being ruined, which he fixed.

Wanting another way to make money, Jack made the lucrative move to start busking at the Diner, which was very well received. Whilst bushing, he caught the attention of Tug’s girlfriend Sonia, and the pair began to see each other. However, when Selina returned and caught them together, she punched Jack. After 20kg of sausages spoiled due to Jack failing to refrigerate them, he spun a lie, which caused Tug grief from Alf. As a result, Pippa confronted him about his propensity for lying, and he promised to change. To start this, he wrote Selina a letter, apologising for his actions. Seeing a lucrative opportunity, Jack decided to breed mice for the school. It was a short-lived dream when the mice escaped and were found in the Diner, forcing him to clean the Diner from top to bottom.

When Selina returned, she found Jack with Sonia and punched him. He eventually received forgiveness from Selina and organised a date with her. However, he’d organised a date with Sonia and was forced to juggle both women. When Angel’s sister Frankie arrived in town, he added her to his duplicity, three-timing all the women. After juggling the three women for a small time, Sonia and Selina clued onto his duplicity and after informing Frankie of his actions, they enacted their revenge, trapping him in a caravan and stripping him naked.

Jack continued to ruffle feathers, in particular Michael’s, which led to him having more enemies than friends. He began a scheme in order to get taller, which saw him hang from the doorframe by his feet. After annoying Sally, she took up his pants and changed the markings on the doorframe which made him believe it was working for a short time. When Pippa and Michael separated, Jack’s failure to help Pippa resulted in him being shouted at. Trying to make amends, he attempted to fix Sally’s bedroom window, but fell off the roof. He went into fight for Pippa went he thought that he would be taken away by DOCS, refusing to leave.

Curtis and Jack took on the newspaper run in the mornings, which was a welcome addition to the town. However, when newspapers started to go missing, they tried to find who the phantom newspaper nicker was. Donna led them to Nelson, who had been reselling them to make money for his mother. Meanwhile, his attempts to body build led him to meet Eric Phillips, a gym junkie who had caught the eye of Shannon. He suggested steroids to Jack, who pondered them. Eventually, he gave in and hit Eric up, receiving the drugs in exchange for enabling his relationship with Shannon. Curtis caught him with the drugs, and he was forced to end the arrangement, putting the steroids down the sink before he could use them.

Jack’s friendship with Curtis was tested by the arrival of Italian exchange student Laura, who was the object of both boys’ affections. Heartbroken, Jack missed out and distanced himself from the couple as she led Curtis down a dark path. Meanwhile, he joined the soccer team and began being tutored by Andrew, until his abusive past was revealed, leading to Michael pulling the pin on the lessons. The night of Shane’s bucks party, Jack was involved in an explosion, when the cigar he had stolen ignited a caravan which was filled with gas due to a science experiment Sally had been working on. When Laura was killed, hit by a train, Jack turned on Curtis, blaming him for her death. His grief took over and he was forced to confront it after they had a fight on the beach. Soon after, the pair realised they were being stupid and made up.

Jack found a new friend in the son of the new deputy principal, Joe Lynch. Although they butted heads at first, Joe showed Jack up in a basketball match and they forged a friendship. Sally quickly developed a crush on Joe, but when he showed his true colours as a bully, Jack went into bat for her. This result in a clash between the two men, but after Joe’s mother was injured in a plane crash, they made up and Joe left for the city where his mother was being transferred. It wasn’t long before another one of Sally’s love interests caused waves for Jack. Gus, Donna’s younger brother, quickly found himself an enemy of Jack’s when, after a fight, he burnt his guitar. Although Gus couldn’t be pinned on it, he confessed what he had done to Jack and Jack punched him. Not long after, Gus’ crimes were exposed and he fled the bay.

During a class assignment, Jack was paired with Chloe Richards. She wasn’t a fan of his work ethic, and pulled up when he mentioned that he was Lebanese. After submitting their assignment, Jack asked her out on a date. She agreed and she kissed him goodbye at the end, averting him from her house. Not long after, a shaken Chloe told him that she couldn’t see him anymore. He tried to change her mind, but failed. Instead, he was approached by her father Max who called him a ‘wog’ and ordered him to stay away from Chloe. The pair devised a plan with Nelson to trick Max into thinking she’s dating him so she could secretly see Jack. The romance was short lived when Max inevitably found out and Chloe ended things with him. A few weeks later, Chloe organised to give Jack a letter and although he was touched, told her that he couldn’t be with her. They decided to give their relationship another go, but when Max found out, he hit Chloe. Jack organised for her to run away and she left him heartbroken, determined to find her mother in Western Australia.

Following Chloe’s departure, Jack spiralled. He met Rad, a no-good lout who became a bad influence over him. He began wagging school and backchatting his teachers, which worried Pippa and Steven. As he and Rad continued down a path of petty crime, Rad suggested they go find Chloe. To do so, they stole a car, which Rad crashed. Jack was trapped, and Nelson helped him escape, however the car exploded and caused a bushfire. Michael and Sally both turned on him, whilst Pippa tried to placate the situation. He also visited Nelson, who was badly injured in the explosion. When he expressed interest in leaving town in the aftermath of the bushfire, Michael tested him by giving him $200 and leaving him at a bus stop. He returned home, not wanting to run from his problems, but rather to undertake his initial goal: to find Chloe. Pippa and Michael agreed, and they assisted him by putting together a list of places in Esperance she could be. He eventually tracked her down and she confirmed she’d found her mother. He was devastated when he learnt she was taking out an AVO against Max to ensure she could stay with her safely, confirming she wouldn’t be back.

After Fisher lost his house in the bushfire, the residents clambered to put together a replacement photo album for Fisher after he lost his. Jack wrote a foreword, asking for his forgiveness, which he rejected. He became a public enemy following this with students, who had also lost houses in the bushfire, turning on him. Wanting to help out the families who have lost everything in the bushfire, Jack decided to organise a concert to raise money. Dodge assisted him with his enquiries and helped him secure a band and the ferry. Unfortunately, the event was marred by Jack’s bad image. Shannon took over the planning and helped make it a success, thanking Jack on the night after they raised over $6000. A short while later, Jack got wind of Fisher trying to have him transferred to Yabbie Creek High. Jack believed it was to do with the bushfire, but Shannon uncovered it was to benefit the school’s ranking and blackmailed Fisher out of it.

During assignment research with Curtis, Jack accepted Sally’s offer of assistance. When they were in the bush, Sally fell, badly injuring her ankle. He kept her company at night whilst Curtis went for help. It soon became apparent the pair were harbouring feelings for one another and with a little push from Curtis and Shannon, Jack kissed Sally. They kept their relationship a secret, but Michael walked in on them together. Furious, he and Pippa put strict rules into place. Sally convinced Jack to confront them with her and they sent Sally to spend time with Carly and Ben in order to give them time to figure out their true feelings. Shannon convinced Jack to write Sally a letter as it was more personal, but before he could send it, Chloe returned. She explained to Jack that she’d found her mother, but things didn’t work out. Torn, Jack questioned his feelings for Chloe, but ultimately decided to pursue a relationship with Sally.

After two years, Jack heard from his sister Kathy. He was over the moon when she asked to come visit for Christmas. However, what Jack was unaware of was that she was sent by their mother Maria to entice Jack to return home and work to help pay the family’s way. When Kathy refused to bring Jack home, due to how happy he was, Maria arrived, explaining that she had broken up with Barry and wanted him to come home to be with his family. Weighing up his options, Jack decided to go home for Christmas, worrying Pippa and Michael he might decide to leave them. Following his and Kathy’s return, Jack and Michael had a blow-up about the cost of the phone bill, and after Jack lost the caravan park a large booking, Michael lashed out at him. Jack gave his place in the Bay some thought and decided to leave. When Maria came to pick her children up, Kathy revealed that Maria had lied about her break-up with Barry in order to con Jack to return home so they could claim his primogenital claim to his family’s land in Lebanon and sell it. After hearing this, Jack decided to stay in the Bay, and saw his mother and Kathy off.

When Sally returned to the Bay, it was clear that both Jack and she still had feelings for one another. Michael was hesitant about allowing the relationship, but resolved to give his blessing as long as they kept it out of the house. They tried to find various places to spend time, including the scout hall and a caravan, but neither was sustainable. Eventually Pippa and Michael agreed to giving them a van they could spend time in. After Sally stopped Brendan Coyne suiciding off the cliffs, Jack became jealous when he moved into the Fletcher family, having claimed to be the father of a child that was left on the beach, Millie. Sally eventually got fed up with his attitude and ended their relationship.

Jack soon became involved in a group of boys known to Alex, having lived at the drop in centre. After befriend Plugger and Zinc, Jack allowed them to stay in the surf club, resulting in it being trashed to the point it needed total renovation. During the clean up of the club, Jack allowed Sam to get behind the wheel of Michael’s car after being blackmailed that Sam would reveal all. Later that day, Jack attempted to hit Sam, but punched Michael by mistake. The next night, he let them rampage through Alf’s store. This put Michael and Alf’s noses out of join, with Michael verbalising that he would be happy to see Jack leave the Ross family. When Curtis tried to pull Jack up, he bashed him. As Jack sank deeper into his friendship with Plugger and Zinc and the crime ring they were running, they broke into Travis’ house, unaware that Kelly was there. Realising his secret may be outed, Jack tried to leave but was chased down by Travis and Kelly, telling him to leave the gang or they’ll reveal his part in the crime spree. He chose to leave, and the truth remained a secret.

Bert returned to Summer Bay for a visit, which put Jack’s nose out of joint having to leave his room. After his school bag was ruined due to Bert and his friend Harry leaving the window open during a storm, his anger heightened. When he ran out of cash, Jack resorted to stealing it, having already been accused of theft by them. When Bert ultimately confronted him, the pair rowed, causing Bert to have a heart attack. At the hospital, Sally and Sam revealed the truth about Jack’s part in the crime spree and the stolen cash. This pushed Pippa to question whether it was time she and Michael organised him new foster parents. Bert was furious to learn this and spoke to Pippa, talking her around to forgive Jack. Afterwards, Jack remained disillusioned in the Bay.

A flyer about the Australian Navy at Summer Bay High caught Jack’s attention, with him originally bearing a disinterest towards it. Later that day, a Petty Officer from the Navy spoke with his class and he began to show a hint of being enthused by the idea of working in the nation’s defence. Jack welcomed the auspicious new foster child of Pippa and Michael, Liam, and was quick to chase him down in a massive storm when he ran off. However, he was forced to assist Sam and Michael, when the former fell into floodwater and the latter jumped in to save him. Although Jack pulled Sam to safety, he wasn’t able to hold on to Michael. The following day, Michael’s body was recovered. Jack blamed himself for Michael’s death, despite Pippa’s plea to the contrary. Soon after, Jack’s application for the Navy was accepted and he left Summer Bay for a fresh start.

Four years later, Jack returned to Summer Bay for Sally’s non-wedding to Kieran. Whilst in town, he noted that he had found his faith after reading the Quran whilst at sea and it ringing true. As a result, among other things, he had given up drinking. He joined the family to console Sally after the wedding abruptly ground to a halt and later, assured Pippa that he tried to hold onto Michael the night he died.