Having lost his best friend to the other side of the world, John is feeling low. So, in the spirit of togetherness, he’s invited on a camping trip. But it quickly takes a terrifying turn.

This week on Home and Away, Mali (Kyle Shilling) notices how despondent John (Shane Withington) has become since he farewelled Irene (Lynne McGranger) from Summer Bay. Mali quickly jumps into action. With the help of Tane (Ethan Browne), who is keen to get away from his ongoing drama with Harper (Jessica Redmayne), Mali tells John to pack his bags. They’re all going camping!

“John is touched by the community coming together to rally his spirits,” Shane, 67, tells TV WEEK. “After fully exploiting the captive audience in the car, to tell his naval stories, John settles in for a relaxing weekend with caring friends.”

At the campsite John’s naval service doesn’t seem to help as he struggles to pitch his tent. Meanwhile, Tane is tricked into thinking he’s consumed kangaroo droppings – a hilarious and much-needed distraction for the group.

Then, as night draws in, Mali starts telling traditional indigenous stories, which spark genuine fear in John.

“John is unaware that Mali is setting him up for the ‘Hairy Man’,” Shane explains – and his character climbs into his sleeping bag worried about the strange noises outside.

After an unsettled night 
of scary sounds, a tired John cooks breakfast – quickly, so as not to disturb anything nearby! Mali and Tane watch as John hurriedly packs up and suggests they hit the road early. Promising to look out for him, a bemused Mali helps pack.

“After a night of being scared to death in his tent, John is happy to come home to more familiar territory,” Shane says. Hairy Man or not, this could be just the distracting experience John needs.

Also This Week…

Unable to face the trauma of losing her mum, or reconciling with her sister, Lacey makes a huge decision: she wants to leave Summer Bay.

In recent episodes of Home and Away, Lacey (Sophea Pennington) has struggled to find a way forward with her family. Not only does she hold sadness over losing her mum, she also blames sister Jo (Maddison Brown) for the accident. And her dad David (Jeremy Lindsay Taylor), for protecting her.

After a barbeque to celebrate settling into their new home – the house that Irene sold to them as she prepared to leave town – tensions blew.

Lacey yearns to have a whole family but the ambiguity of what happened the night her mother died has lacey in a spin. She knows Jo was driving the car, but with no recollection of what happened, her sister is unable to piece it together. Is she truly at fault?

Debriefing with boyfriend, Theo (Matt Evans), Lacye makes a huge proposal: let’s leave Summer Bay – together. Theo is stunned, and a little torn.

The move would mean him having to say goodbye to his Aunt Leah (Ada Nicodemou) and Uncle Justin (James Stewart). Theo insists he needs to think. But, over a beer with Justin, he realises he can’t live without Lacey.

Will he choose love or family?

Home and Away airs Monday to Thursday, 7pm on Channel Seven