800 Words: profiles


Woody played by Rick Donald

Woody came to Weld to surf. But the Aussie expat never left after riding that first wave on the local beach.

Woody's real name is Jeff. He's a surfer, builder, philosopher, party animal, facilitator and friend. He's a man of many parts, none of which work at great speed, but which generally get there eventually.

Rick says everyone has a friend like Woody. "He's the guy that walks into your house, opens the fridge, grabs a beer, sits on the lounge and watches your TV.

"George has no one when he first moves to Weld. Woody can see he's a bit of a duck with a broken wing and he's there to help George and be a brother. There is a bit of an age difference, George has experienced a lot more, he's had a family, he's lost his wife and Woody doesn't want to face such grown-up events. He does a lot of stupid things, he's constantly tripping over his mistakes and landing on his face, but while some of the town might point fingers and laugh at him, George never does."

Rick Donald

Rick Donald is best known for his starring role alongside James van der Beek in the short-lived but acclaimed 2014 US television sitcom Friends with Better Lives.

Rick hails from Queensland and graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art in 2009.

His television credits include recurring roles in The Doctor Blake Mysteries, House Husbands, Home and Away and Underbelly: Razor. He's also appeared in the telefeatures Blood Brothers, Paper Giants and Dripping In Chocolate and is the voice of Firehead in the children's animated series The Woodlies.