When news broke that Cameron Daddo would be joining the cast of Home And Away as Ryder’s dad, Evan Slater, we knew we were in for an emotional storyline.
But we never could have imagined just how much Evan and Ryder’s journey would rattle us.
It’s no surprise that when Evan first arrived in Summer Bay, after being absent for most of Ryder’s life, he received less than a warm welcome.
As the truth slowly became clear however, that Evan was living on borrowed time and was in town to form a genuine connection with his son, he’s become one of the show’s favourite characters.
With Evan’s heartbreaking terminal illness and storyline coming to a head, even the cast spoke out about the overwhelming episodes.
“Had a lot of fun and a lot of tears working on this storyline – hope everyone is enjoying it, it was a dream to shoot with,” Lukas wrote.
“We’ve loved this story line and the opportunity it’s given us all as a family in the show,” Georgie added.
In light of Ryder and Evan’s incredible journey, which touched our hearts like few other characters have, we’re recapping the father and son’s best moments on and off screen.
BTS
“Family resemblance?,” Lukas captioned this cute BTS snap. We can see it!
BTS Cameron
Cameron followed up with a hilarious Star Wars take on the same photo.
“This story is just getting Star….ted,” he wrote.
Cameron entrance
Evan’s entrance to Summer Bay and subsequent revelation he was Ryder’s biological father didn’t quite go down well.
“He wonders why Evan is there and wants him gone. But when his mother validates it, Ryder becomes angry that his father has abandoned him for so many years,” Cameron told TV WEEK.
Evan Alf
As Evan slowly won over Ryder (and us), his grandad Alf remained cautious. In a heartwarming moment, Ryder tried to bring his family together.
Evan Ryder diner
As the bond continued to grow between father and son, Ryder asked his dad for a special favour – to perform a live show.
Ryder teary
Our favourite father-son moment is undoubtedly Evan’s original song and performance that had Ryder, Roo and us shedding tears.
The song Sun and Moon was in fact an original written by Cameron himself.
“I dug out a bunch of my songs and Sun & Moon was one of them and at the same time, I’d started work on Home and Away,” Cameron told TV Tonight.
Watch the emotional clip, below.