Home and Away is an Australian soap opera. The following is a list of characters that first appeared in 1998, by order of appearance. They were all introduced by the show's executive producer John Holmes. The 11th season of Home and Away began airing on the Seven Network on 12 January 1998. The first introduction of year was Will Smith, played by Zac Drayson. Several episodes later, the Nash family consisting of parents Joel and Natalie and their children Tom and Gypsy debuted. April saw the birth of Olivia Fraser Richards. September saw the first appearance of and in the same month Bec Cartwright took on the role of Will's sister, Hayley. Scott Major guested as armed robber in October. arrived in November.