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Guest Character Profiles > Victor Stone Craig Hall

Father to Nicolette and Byron, and ex-husband of Jane Harris, Victor Stone was never a particularly good parent or partner. Having met Australian Jane in Earls Court in London, Kiwi Vic charmed her but was never around much while the kids were growing up, more interested in making money and cheating on Jane with other women. When Vic and Jane were divorced, she ended up settling back in her old home of Erinsborough and, whilst Vic stayed in regular contact with Nicolette, he became estranged from Byron, who was unimpressed with the man and would refer to him as 'Vic' rather than 'dad'.

With Byron and Nicolette both living on Ramsay Street, Nicolette with Jane at no. 24 and Byron across the street at no. 32, Vic arrived in Erinsborough for a visit, the four of them having not been together since the death of Jane's nan, Nell Mangel. Whilst Nicolette was delighted to see her dad, Jane and Byron were more suspicious of him suddenly turning up, wondering if he was looking to borrow money. Vic insisted that this wasn't his intention and that he'd just realised that it was time to reconnect with his loved ones, but he did explain that he was waiting for money to come through and wondered if he might be able to crash on Byron's couch. Though reluctant, having taken advice from housemate Mackenzie, who had a difficult relationship with her own dad for many years, Byron agreed to let Vic stay for a few nights. However, as Byron went to bed that night, Vic opened up his laptop to reveal that he had over one million dollars in his bank account. The following day, with Jane still worried about what drama Vic had brought to town with him, he tried to bond with Nicolette, but only managed to push her away as he started asking about her plans for the future, suggesting that she hadn't been making much effort to better herself since leaving nursing.

Vic then decided that he wanted to get to know Sadie Rodwell, Byron's girlfriend, so Byron reluctantly arranged a meeting for that morning. This immediately started to go badly as Vic wanted to know when Byron was going to make use of his law degree, but Byron reminded his father that he hadn't earned the right to be a parent yet. When Sadie later asked Byron if she could use his laptop to book movie tickets, she inadvertently opened Vic's laptop instead, stunned by what she saw on it. When Vic then caught her, he warned her not to say anything to Byron about what she'd read on the computer. Vic's next charm offensive was towards Jane, as he returned a vase to her that had belonged to her nan. Vic had once taken it and sold it in order to buy some shares, leaving Jane heartbroken, so she was thrilled when it turned up in her kitchen, but angry with Vic for the nonchalant way he'd returned it to her. As Jane confronted Vic, he explained that he'd always felt bad about selling the vase and had spent years trying to track it down, eventually finding it in an estate sale and buying it back. Though still angry about Vic's mind games, Jane was touched by the gesture, but Byron and Nicolette were left wondering how he'd managed to afford the expensive vase when he claimed to be broke. After hearing this, Sadie later spoke to Vic again, saying that his kids were already getting suspicious and that he needed to be honest, though he continued to tell her that she needed to stay quiet about what she'd seen.

As he continued to press Byron and Nicolette on their future plans, both personal and professional, Vic made himself even more unpopular, with Byron especially uncomfortable at what he saw as sleazy behaviour towards women. After learning that Sadie had previously kept a secret about Paul Robinson that her caused a great deal of upset, Vic apologised to her for the distress he'd been causing, but when Byron caught them together, he assumed that Vic had been coming on to her. Realising that he couldn't keep the truth from his family any longer, he told Byron that he was dying, then gathered Jane and Nicolette to explain that he had stage 4 bowel cancer. After learning that her father had been given six months to live, Nicolette immediately started talking about treatments, but Vic insisted that there was nothing that could be done and he'd come back to try and build bridges, and tie up loose ends, in his final days. As Jane and Nicolette processed the news and offered their support, Byron went to spend time alone, before confronting Vic, telling him that he'd always been a terrible father and that he hated him and he wished that he hadn't come back into his life.

As Byron calmed down, the next day the family all sat down together to talk things through. Vic knew that he had a lot of making up to do, and insisted that he'd wanted to build bridges and avoid having his cancer diagnosis casting a shadow over everything. He then explained that he wasn't actually broke, but he wanted to put his savings into a business for Byron and Nicolette to build together. Vic then continued his quest to fix things by taking Nic and Byron minigolfing, something he'd promised to do when they were young, but let them down. As the three bonded over the experience, it looked like things might finally be improving, but Vic couldn't resist sticking his nose into his kids' love lives. After getting Byron to admit that he saw a future, including marriage and kids, with Sadie, Vic mentioned this to Sadie's mum, Wendy, who quizzed her daughter about it. Meanwhile, after seeing Nicolette with Amira Devkar, who she'd just had a one night stand with, Vic approached Amira, suggesting that she and Nic could have a great future together. With Amira only in town for a few weeks before returning to Western Australia, she later told Nicolette what Vic had said, pointing out that it was nothing more than a fling to her. Byron and Nicolette then both confronted their father, furious with his interference, just as he believed that he was finally making some progress.

As Nicolette forced Vic to apologise to Amira and make it clear that he'd just gotten carried away with things, and that Nic had never mentioned any kind of serious relationship, Byron also managed to smooth things over with Sadie. Realising that their father had good intentions and that his illness meant that time was short, they all patched things up and arranged a hiking trip to the Dandenong Ranges. It was also becoming clear that Vic was also hoping for more than just friendship from Jane, as he thanked her for everything she'd done for him and kissed her hand - witnessed by Mike's daughter, Sam. As Vic, Byron and Nicolette then prepared to leave for their hike, Vic was disappointed as Jane failed to turn up. Knowing that it was somewhere she'd visited as a child and had always spoken about returning to, Vic had asked Jane to join them, but she had explained that she couldn't just take the day off work, though she was tempted, particularly when Nicolette pointed out how much it would mean to Vic to have all three of them there with him.

As Vic, Nicolette and Byron then set off on their hike, they had a great time, but returned to the car to find that Jane had turned up after all. With no phone reception, they were unsure how far she'd gone on her way, so they set off looking, with Nicolette insisting that her dad, who'd been suffering from dizzy spells, stay behind and wait. However, a worried Vic set off to search anyway and, after finding Jane's hat, he suddenly passed out. After finding Jane, Nicolette and Byron then found their dad and took him to hospital, where he was diagnosed with dehydration and kept in overnight. When he was discharged the next day, Jane suggested that, with a party happening at no. 32, he could stay at her place and rest on her bed. When Sam then saw Vic on Jane's bed, she became upset, worried that he was coming between her dad and Jane, trying to get Jane to make more of an effort to speak to Mike, as they kept missing each other due to the time difference.

As he and Nicolette started trying to work out what sort of business he was going to buy for her and Byron, a worried Sam decided to plan some wedding dress shopping for Jane, to remind her that she was still engaged to Mike. After seeing a photograph of Jane in a potential dress, Vic started to push Jane about why Mike hadn't come back yet and continued to extend his trip. She insisted that everything was fine between them and that Vic had spent years treating her badly and needed to mind his own business. When Jane then took off her engagement ring to clean the house and it went missing, she immediately went to Vic and accused him of stealing it. As she listed off the other times he'd taken from her without permission, he insisted that he hadn't taken the ring, but came to realise just how badly he'd hurt his ex-wife. He then admitted to Byron that he deeply regretted letting go of Jane and that, if it weren't for his health, he might be trying to win her back.

As he continued to noticed Jane's discomfort whenever the wedding was mentioned, Vic also found a business opportunity for Nicolette and Byron. After Nic took him to visit Leo Tanaka's vineyard, Vic realised that it would be the perfect place to invest, especially as Leo was having some serious financial problems and could use some help. As Leo was Isla's uncle, Nicolette and Byron were keen on the idea, but Vic warned them to keep quiet until he'd done some negotiating. After checking out the books and sampling the vineyard's wine and gin, Vic put in his offer, but everyone was shocked when Leo turned up and said that the offer was an insult and that Vic was trying to take advantage.

Having taken some advice from Terese Willis, and with little other choice, Leo came back to Vic and said that he would accept the offer, if he could retain a 51% share and majority control of the business. Vic accepted, much to Byron and Nicolette's delight and, as the family celebrated and the kids went outside, Vic spontaneously kissed Jane. She quickly pulled away and, as he realised what a mistake he'd made, Vic went to the hospital for the results of some scans. After getting a cold the week before, Vic had gone for a check-up with Dr Remi Varga-Murphy and she'd requested some scans to check on the progress of his cancer. When he returned, Remi explained that she'd been in touch with his doctors in London and found out about the immunotherapy trial he'd been on. He told her that he'd never mentioned it before as it hadn't appeared to have worked, but Remi told him that this assumption had been premature as all of his tumours appeared to have gone and he was now in remission.

Struggling to understand this news, and seeing how excited Byron and Nicolette were about the vineyard, Vic realised that he could no longer put all of his money into the business, as he was now going to need it. After leaving a letter each for Byron and Nic, he disappeared from their lives once again, with the letters explaining about him being in remission and leaving $20,000 for each of them. They were then left to explain to a stunned Leo that they could no longer invest in the vineyard and, whilst Nicolette couldn't believe what her father had done, Byron and Jane weren't surprised that he'd let them down again.

Later in the year, Victor developed a connection with Melanie Pearson after they were matched on a dating app. With neither of them aware of their connections in Erinsborough, they arranged for Vic to fly down from Sydney so they could meet. After arriving late for their date at the Waterhole, an uncomfortable Vic suggested that they should go somewhere else, worried that he might bump into someone he knew, but Mel wanted to stay in familiar surroundings. As their online bond translated well into real life, Melanie was heartbroken when Jane and Nicolette arrived for a drink and Vic's true identity was revealed. Though Mel had been out of town, visiting music festivals in her truck, the Drinks Divas, when Vic had been in Erinsborough earlier in the year, she was still surprised that she and Vic had never crossed paths before, as she had been married to Jane's uncle, Joe Mangel, thirty years earlier. The fact that they must have narrowly avoided meeting on more than one occasion in the past only served to make the whole thing even more romantic for Melanie, but she and Vic quickly realised that they couldn't continue to see each other.

Meanwhile, Vic quickly realised that he had a lot of making up to do, apologising to Leo for his behaviour, before visiting Jane and Byron with similar apologies and quickly realising how badly he'd hurt them and how difficult it would be to repair the relationships. Whilst Jane had ended her relationship with Mike during Vic's time away, things had also changed a lot for Nicolette. After it was discovered that she'd kept a list of all of Aaron's faults and had contacted a lawyer to get advice on their parenting arrangement for Isla, Nicolette had fallen out with Aaron and Jane, who had asked her to move out. Nicolette was living with Byron at the share house at 32 Ramsay Street and, already struggling with the fact that she had less time with her daughter, she then found it difficult when Vic chose her as the last person he would apologise to. Believing that Nicolette would be the easiest relationship to fix, Vic was devastated when she too rejected him, saying that she could no longer make excuses for his behaviour. Having found out that Byron and Nicolette had taken out a loan after his disappearance, in order to still invest in the vineyard, Vic offered to give them $100,000 so they didn't end up in debt. Though Byron wanted to take it, Nicolette was adamant that they shouldn't, feeling that Vic should be made to suffer. Jane, however, felt that she was cutting off her nose to spite her face. As she tried to get Nic to change her mind, Jane met with Vic, telling him that, if the kids did take the money, he had to promise that he would never use it as leverage against them. As he realised that maybe Jane had been right about him all along, Vic turned to Melanie, feeling that she was the only person who didn't hate him, and asked her to have a coffee with him. Though she insisted that there could never be anything romantic between them, she agreed to join him and sympathised as he told her about his struggles to prove that he'd changed.

Vic was relieved when Byron and Nicolette finally agreed to accept his money, but as he told them that he was looking for a business near Melbourne, so he could be closer to them, he was disappointed by the frosty reception. After learning that Jane was attempting to sell Mike's motorbike for him, and that she was finding it quite difficult to lose another piece of him from her life, he decided to help out. After arranging for a man named Lindsay Walker to make an offer on the bike, then pay for it and pick it up, Vic then relisted it for a higher price, hoping to make his money back and, if he made any extra, he would tell Jane and give it to her. Unfortunately, Jane found out about the listing and, after seeing Vic's number on it, assumed that he had conned her. During another catch-up with Melanie, Vic explained what he'd done and why, telling her that he felt responsible for Mike and Jane's split and had just wanted to help.

Aware that Vic was being genuine, and that he'd been secretly volunteering at the hospital, sitting with chemo patients during their treatment, Melanie decided to talk to Jane. After she explained that Vic hadn't been trying to con her, and the reasons behind his actions, Melanie told Jane how she and Vic had still been meeting up for chats as he felt like nobody in his family wanted to talk to him. Despite her better judgement, Jane began to wonder if Vic really had changed this time and called him over to the house to apologise and to get his side of the story. Vic arrived to find Jane attempting to repaint the kitchen cabinets, as a symbol of her fresh start, and he offered to help. Before long, Jane and Vic were joking and laughing, just as Byron and Nicolette walked in. Though Byron was horrified to see what was going on, Nicolette was happy to see her parents finally enjoying each other's company again.

After accompanying Victor to a charity male revue, which Byron was taking part in, Jane admitted to Susan that she had realised that she was falling in love with her ex-husband all over again. The re-awakening of old feelings had taken Jane by surprise and she struggled to tell him how she was feeling. After trying and failing a couple of times, Jane found out that Vic was in discussions to buy a pub and move to the Gippsland region and decided to take action. She invited Vic to dinner, just as Melanie had decided that, following all of the flirting between them, she needed to know how Vic felt about her before he moved away. Having already accepted Jane's invitation, Vic suggested that he and Mel could have dessert together later that evening, which she happily agreed to. However, after a pleasant evening with Jane, as Vic attempted to leave, claiming that he needed an early night, Jane decided to show him how she was feeling and shocked Vic by kissing him.

A shocked Vic took some time to think about things after the kiss, missing his dessert date with Melanie in the process. He then visited her the next morning, explaining what had happened and admitting that he wanted to see if there was a chance for him and Jane. Though privately devastated, Melanie accepted this, while Vic went back to Jane and told her that he wanted to give their relationship another try - and though Nicolette and Aaron were pleased for them, it seemed that Byron was less comfortable with this new development.

As they tried to work out the future of their relationship, Vic took Jane to the Gippsland pub he was considering buying. Though she wanted to give Vic another chance, Jane admitted that she didn't ever see herself running a pub and that she was very happy as a school principal. As they then navigated the idea of a long-distance relationship, Vic decided to put in an offer on the pub and, as they arrived back in Erinsborough that evening, he found out that it had been accepted. When they bumped into Melanie at Harolds, she was delighted by this news, saying that it was nice to see Vic achieving his dream. Jane was confused about how Mel knew that this was his dream, as she'd only just found that out herself, and Mel and Vic were forced to tell her about how they'd met online and had been chatting for a while before his return.

Seeing the connection between Vic and Mel, realising how much they had in common, and noticing his reaction to the news that Mel was planning to leave town, Jane told Vic that she wanted to pause their reunion to allow him to work out his true feelings. Though Byron was fine with this news, Nicolette was unhappy when she found out, irritated that Mel could be coming between her parents. She decided to take matters into her own hands, telling Mel that she'd had a lucky escape and that Vic was a womaniser, claiming that he'd been seeing other women when he was chatting to Mel online and he couldn't be trusted to be faithful.

When Melanie then told Vic that there was no future for them and that they both needed to move on, he went to Jane, telling her that he wanted them to try again. Though Jane was happy, she was concerned when she found out what Nicolette had said to Mel, feeling that this was the only reason that Vic and Mel weren't together. Jane tried to ignore her concerns, trying to seduce Vic to prove that he still wanted her. When this failed, Vic claimed that the cancer treatment had affected him, but Jane wondered if it more to do with Melanie. She told Vic what Nicolette had said to Mel, and decided that things weren't going to work between them. Having been rejected by Jane, Vic phoned Mel and told her that Nicolette had lied, hoping that it might be possible for them to try again. Mel, however, had already decided that she didn't want to get involved in a complicated situation with her friend's ex, telling Vic that it was over and asking him not to contact her again. Vic then struggled to forgive Nicolette for her interference, but after a day of blanking her, they sat down to talk. Nic admitted that she'd just wanted to see her mum happy again, but that she should have kept her nose out of her dad's love life.

A few days later, as Vic prepared to move away to run the pub, his family threw him a farewell meal, but he was disappointed when he didn't receive an invitation to Melanie's own farewell party, which was taking place that afternoon. Having made peace with Jane and with Byron doing his best to be nice to his dad before he left, Vic decided that he needed to see Mel one more time. Mel was touched when Vic turned up to say goodbye, giving her a gift of some chalks to write the specials board on her drinks truck. As they said goodbye and Vic headed off to Gippsland, Mel found herself receiving more and more signs that she should follow her heart and, with Vic standing in his new pub, taking a selfie to send to Nic and Byron, he was surprised to see Mel turn up. She told him that she'd decided to make him her first stop on her road trip before heading up to Queensland, but then Vic suggested that she could always make him her final destination, and they happily shared a kiss.

Episodes Featured
9041, 9042, 9043, 9046, 9047, 9048, 9050, 9051, 9052, 9055, 9056, 9057, 9060, 9061, 9062, 9064, 9065, 9068, 9069, 9124, 9125, 9126, 9129, 9130, 9133, 9134, 9135, 9136, 9140, 9141, 9143, 9144, 9145, 9146, 9149

Biography by Steve

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