Father to Jarrod, Addo and Paul, Ron is the kind of guy everyone wants their dad to be – loyal, strong and understanding.
A third-generation Manly man, he's dependable and always there to help during a crisis, but the last tragedy was too close to home.
Last year, Ron lost his wife and love of his life to a radical liver cancer. She was gone within a short period of being diagnosed. Ron still hasn't come to terms with losing Diane and carries a lot of grief and guilt at not trying harder or doing something more to save her – even though the doctors told him there was nothing he could have done to stop it.
The one thing, apart from his boys, that keeps Ron going is The Club. Like his father and grandfather, Ron is the proud manager of one of the longest running and most popular establishments in Manly.
It's a central meeting place for Gabby and all her friends, so he gets to stay in the loop with all their lives and loves nothing more than to serve them drinks with a few warm words of advice. And, of course, The Club was the natural venue for the school reunion.
Noel Hodda plays Ron O'Donnell
Noel Hodda is an actor, writer, director and teacher.
A graduate of The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), Noel has starred in many well-known Australian television programmes including Five Mile Creek, Cyclone Tracy, Cop Shop, Bodyline, Sons And Daughters, Neighbours, E Street, Big Sky, Heartbreak High, G.P., Water Rats, Murder Call, All Saints, Blue Water High and the US sci-fi series Farscape.
Noel has also starred in the feature films Silver City, Emoh Ruo, Southern Cross (aka The Highest Honour/Heroes of The Krait) and The Bet.
Noel has worked with the Sydney Theatre Company, Queensland Theatre Company, Griffin Theatre Company, The Ensemble Theatre, The Q Theatre, Marian Street Theatre, amongst others, as well as performing in major national and international tours. Some of these productions include The Removalists, Are You Lonesome Tonight, The Club, The Life Of Galileo, Chasing The Dragon, Diving For Pearls and Dinner.
Image and text © BBC
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