Jack Wilson

Jack Wilson was a main character from 1994-1996. He was fostered by Pippa and Michael Ross and although he wasn't a bad kid at heart, he proved to be quite a handful at times. He first appeared in April 1994 (Ep 1435) and left in May 1996 (Ep 1918). He made some guest appearances in 2000, the final one being in June (Ep 2855). Jack was played by Daniel Amalm.

Biography[]

Jack Wilson
Character Profile
Birthday:	1978
Birthplace:	Australia
Father:	Mr Wilson
Mother:	Maria Wilson
Siblings:	Kathy Wilson Jeremy Wilson
Spouse:	None
Children:	None
Occupation:	Sailor
Played By:	Daniel Amalm

Backstory[]

Jack Wilson was born in 1978 to Maria Wilson and her husband. At some point after this, his mother remarried and had two more children - Kathy and Jeremy. Jack's stepfather Barry had no interest in having a relationship with his stepson and frequently beat him. Jack's mother sided with her husband and over time, Jack was pushed out of the family unit. He was taken into care and ended up being fostered by the Rosses.

1994-1996[]

Jack was fostered by Michael and Pippa Ross in April 1994 and immediately demonstrated to all and sundry that he was going to be a handful. He began causing trouble by irritating Alf Stewart and getting involved in pranks. He developed a rivalry with Shane Parrish and made it clear that he had the hots for Shane's girlfriend Angel Brooks. Shane got the last laugh when he tricked Jack into sneaking into Donald Fisher's bedroom one night, rather than Angel's. Jack was later caught out by Donald.

Jack was already wary of Michael when he moved in because of his bad relationship with his stepfather. When he heard from Sally that Michael originally hadn't wanted to foster him, he became openly hostile and made no effort to develop a relationship with him. It was a long time before he started to warm towards him. He became good friends with Curtis Reed and got on well with his foster brother Damian Roberts. Jack briefly went out with Selina Cook and in one of their earliest trysts, managed to wreck a school formal ball. He then went on to cheat on Selina with not one but two girls. They caught him out and played a prank on him. Jack was a keen guitarist, something likely written into the show because actor Daniel Amalm was a talented guitar player in real life.

Although Jack was happy enough living with the Rosses, he harboured the desire to move back home and live with his family. At the end of 1994 he was devastated to learn that his family had gone away for a Christmas holiday and hadn't bothered to let him know. Christmas that year was an unhappy one in the Ross household because Pippa and Michael separated, with Michael moving into his boatshed. Jack repaired Michael's broken ghetto blaster for him.

In 1995 Jack accidentally blew up one of the caravans in the Caravan Park after discarding a cigar which he had as Sally had left the gas on. Later in that year, he fell for newcomer Chloe Richards. When she moved away Jack was furious when Pippa and Michael refused to let him go in search of her. He was rejected again by his family of origin, causing him to go off the rails. He fell in with a bad crowd and started rebelling against everybody. When a stolen car he was travelling in crashed and caught fire, it started a catastrophic bushfire. Nelson McFarlane was badly burned rescuing him from the burning car. The bush fire destroyed some homes in the area, including Donald Fisher's house. Donald was distraught at losing his photo album and with it, treasured photos of his late daughter Bobby. Michael gave Jack a choice - he could leave town and not come back or he could return home and face the consequences of his actions. Jack chose the latter but found that the entire town had turned against him.

While hiking with Curtis and Jack, Sally fell down a steep bank and broke her ankle. Jack bandaged her wound and waited with her while Curtis got help. The two had a heart-to-heart, and began to develop feelings for each other. They began a relationship in secret, however this didn't last long as Michael walked in on the two kissing in bed. Both Pippa and Michael were uncomfortable with the idea of Jack and Sally dating, but did agree to let them use an empty caravan to give them some privacy. The relationship didn't last too long and quickly fizzled out.

Towards the end of 1995, Jack's mother Maria and sister Kathy travelled to Summer Bay and convinced him to return home. Maria told him that she and her husband Barry (who had beaten Jack) had split up. Jack had always wanted to return to his family so he decided to go back to them. Kathy's conscience got the better of her at the last minute. She revealed that Jack had been left some land in the Lebanon by his grandfather and that Barry hadn't split from Maria. It was all a ruse for them to get their hands on the land Jack had inherited. Jack asked his mother to choose between him and Barry. She chose Barry. He decided to stay in Summer Bay with the Rosses who were now more of a family to him than his real one.

In 1996, Michael was drowned while saving Sam from raging floodwater. Although Jack did his best to hold onto him as he floundered in the river, he was unable to save him. Filled with guilt, he decided it was time to move on. He left to join the Navy.

2000[]

Jack returned in 2000 for Sally's aborted wedding to Kieran. He was still in the Navy and was now a more mature and reflective character. He revealed that he had converted to Islam and apologised to Pippa for all the trouble he had caused in his younger days. He also told her he regretted not being able to hold onto Michael on the night that he died.

Memorable info[]

Birthday: 1978

Full Name: Jack Wilson

First Line: "G'day." (to Michael and Pippa)

Last Line: "Yeah, I did. I did try holding onto him that night, Pip. I tried. Yeah well, I'll come and see you on my next leave, OK? Bye."

Jack was often seen playing the guitar. In real life, Daniel Amalm combines his acting career with that of a professional guitarist. In 1996 Daniel recorded a cover version of Classical Gas and it reached number 21 in the Australian charts^[1].

Family[]

Mother Maria Wilson

Siblings Kathy Wilson, Jeremy Wilson