Peter/Tug O'Neale

When Peter O'Neale first appeared in Summer Bay, he was in Year 10 at the High. He came over from Mangrove River High when it closed and proceeded to terrorise the locals, particularly Damien.

At the age of 15, he was a genuine toughie, hardened and streetwise. He handled himself well in a fight and wasn't scared to go looking for one. Never an achiever in the classroom, he made sure he was top dog in the playgroond.

Tug's character has developed in Summer Bay - with his father in prison, he was befriended by Bobby who sympathised with his situation as she went through it before.

He then met the girl of his dreams, Sarah, and had to change his ways in order to go out with her. Unfortunately, his possessiveness drove her away and now his ally Bobby is dead, his prospects are looking bleak. He fails at school and quits dramatically. He tries his hand at job after job but for one reason or another, they never seem to work out.

Both Tug and Shane were continuous enemies - they always tried to better themselves and were always getting into squabbles. Tug got Shane into prison when he set him up by placing stolen goods in a house Shane was helping out.

Tug's father returned to the Bay in 1993. He initially ignored him, but after many persuasions, he gave him a chance and they set up a farm together.

One night, there was a party in the Surf Club. Tug's father arrived there drunk, but what annoyed him more was the way he handled Sarah. Tug could not forgive him and his father left the Bay. Problems came for Tug.

In 1994, Roxy and Luke tried to work out why Tug always did badly at school: they discovered he had dyslexia. Tug had a remedial teacher to help him, but it went the wrong way when he fell in love with her and tried to hold on to her.

Tug left the Bay in 1994.

TRISTAN BANCKS

Tristan Bancks was born on 21 December 1974.
Tristan had worked in Australian theatre, but Home and Away is his first major acting role. He said, "I knew the character was a bit of a rebel, so I dressed up in some pretty awful clothes, like a plain t-shirt and ripped jeans for the audition. I guess he's the sort of person you can't help feeling sorry for because everything seems to go sour for him. Girls bring out the nice side of him, but it's not a permanent fixture, he's still got a nasty streak!"
On the subject of school, he mentioned: "I used to be at the principal's office all the time, but I mellowed out in time, and was just a normal kid, really. Dieter Brummer and I could have been good mates at school, because he's a smart ass too!"
Tristan is a big fan of basketball and gets as many games as possible. "My favourite teams are the New York Knicks in the USA, while here in Australia, I follow the Sydney Kings". He is an all-round sports fan and he's forever rounding up his mates for a game of tennis, squash, basketball or golf! He also enjoys canoeing and rock-climbing.
Tristan wasn't too keen on his character's name, Tug. "It's the worst part about the job!", he said, "It's strange walking down the street and having twenty or so people yelling out, 'Tug! Tug!'. The Home and Away crew call me Tugster. Most people on the show have nicknames, but with my character being called Tug, it's hard to get around being called that."
Tristan's ambition is to be a millionaire. "I plan to have loads of money one day. I spend a lot of time thinking about business ideas to make me rich." He has already organised dance parties with his friends.
His parents are in the real estate business and he has a sister, Kerryn, who is a newsreader for the local Wollongong TV station.

Tristan has devised a 3-part special of Home and Away, called G'day Summer Bay which goes behind the scenes.