Tom is depicted as a long-time resident of Mount Thomas, and so he is shown to be friends with a number of local personalities. His most significant friendship is the one he shares with Chris Riley (Julie Nihill), a shire councillor and the publican of the Imperial Hotel, the local "watering hole" used by the local police. Friends since they were children, Chris is often the person that Tom turns to when he needs a friend to lean on, especially after Nell's death in season 1. In subsequent seasons, there were hints of a potential mutual attraction between them, but this was never expanded upon.