List of Home and Away characters introduced in 2002

Home and Away

Company type	Television series
Industry	Television soap opera
Founded	January 17, 1988 (1988-01-17)
Headquarters	Australia
Website	7plus.com.au/home-and-away

Home and Away is a long-running Australian soap opera that premiered on the Seven Network on 17 January 1988. The following section details characters introduced throughout 2002, all under the guidance of Series Producer Julie McGuaran. The show's fifteenth season commenced broadcasting on 14 January 2002. Sebastian Elmaloglou made his debut as Max Sutherland in January. Rhett Giles joined the cast portraying Paris Burnett in April, followed by Laurie Foell as Deputy Principal Angie Russell in September, and her son Dylan (Brett Hicks-Maitland) arriving in October.

Max Sutherland

Max Sutherland, portrayed by Sebastian Elmaloglou, appeared on the series from January 2002 until September 2004. This role marked Elmaloglou’s first ongoing television part after guest appearances on shows like GP. He characterized Max as "very cheeky" and quite different from his own personality. Max came to Summer Bay accompanied by his father Pete to stay with his uncle Rhys and aunt Shelley. When Pete fled to Hong Kong due to gambling debts, Max's residence in Summer Bay became permanent. He quickly formed a friendship with caravan dweller Colleen Smart and frequently had confrontations with his cousin Kirsty at school. Max assisted Colleen in authoring a book under the pseudonym "Maxine Peterson" and became involved in a brief romantic triangle involving Tamara Simpson and Caitlin.

Eventually, Max developed a close friendship with Tasha Andrews and started a relationship with new student Eloise Lennox, who was battling terminal leukemia. Max supported Eloise in fulfilling her final wishes before she passed away in his arms. In her memory, he created a tribute inside an abandoned mineshaft, which later collapsed trapping several family members inside; fortunately, all were rescued.

After Rhys remarried Beth Hunter, Max found it difficult to adjust to her children Henry and Matilda, initially clashing with Henry before they eventually bonded. Feeling unsettled by the changes within his family, Max declined an invitation to move to the city and instead left Summer Bay to attend boarding school.

Elmaloglou received a nomination for "Best Young Actor" at the 2004 Inside Soap Awards for his performance. Channel 5 highlighted the mineshaft collapse episode as one of the series’ standout moments, while Digital Spy commended Max’s compelling story arcs involving romantic conflicts, boxing bouts, and tragedy. Nonetheless, some reviewers pointed out that Max’s terminal illness storyline bore similarities to previous plots within the show.

Paris Burnett

Paris Burnett, played by Rhett Giles, made his first appearance on 29 April 2002 and exited on 10 September 2003. Giles had prior experience working on All Saints, which was filmed nearby at the Seven Network studios; he returned there after finishing his time on Home and Away.

Paris assumed the role of principal at Summer Bay High following Donald Fisher’s suspension amid a departmental scheme aimed at closing the school. Upon arrival, he encountered Irene Roberts; despite initial reluctance, they discovered mutual attraction and shared experiences including losses in past relationships. Paris played a key role in protecting the school after Donald uncovered damaging evidence about the department’s failings. Their relationship developed but faced obstacles when Donald was reinstated and Irene hesitated due to Paris’s imminent departure.

During Summer Bay’s 150th anniversary dinner, Paris and Irene were shipwrecked during a storm which led to a shared kiss. After being rescued, they began a romantic relationship despite disapproval from Irene’s foster son Nick, who thought Paris was too young for her. Paris was later offered a position in Orange but agreed to return temporarily, sharing an affectionate farewell with Irene.

Months later, Paris returned permanently to succeed the retired Donald Fisher as principal, creating friction with Angie Russell who had anticipated receiving the promotion herself. He endeavored to rekindle his relationship with Irene and moved into the Beach House despite Nick’s difficult behavior towards him. They reunited after Irene was diagnosed with depression; however, Paris soon departed to care for his orphaned niece and nephew following a family tragedy. He invited Irene to join him but she declined; they said goodbye with a final kiss before he left.

Angie Russell

Angela "Angie" Russell, brought to life by Laurie Foell, made her first appearance on 26 September 2002 and exited on 21 March 2003, with a subsequent ghostly return in 2004. The disclosure of the identity of Angie's murderer attracted an audience peak of 1.5 million viewers in Australia, outperforming the Nine Network's Big Brother Australia 2003. A writer from What's on TV ranked Angie among "The 50 most evil soap villains," highlighting Foell's compelling performance. The Sunday Mercury referred to Angie as a "crackpot" and commended the show for resolving her storyline promptly.

Dylan Russell

Dylan Russell, portrayed by Brett Hicks-Maitland from Adelaide, debuted on 8 October 2002 and departed in 2003, with a brief return in 2004. A graduate of NIDA, Hicks-Maitland moved to Sydney for this role, which producers extended due to his strong portrayal. Even years later, he remained identified with the character Dylan.

Hicks-Maitland characterized Dylan as a responsible yet still developing 17-year-old, possessing empathy and cleverness akin to Nick Smith’s traits. At age 24, playing a younger character provided career sustainability. The official website described Dylan as a "lone wolf" who is socially skilled yet maintains an air of mystery.

Dylan arrives in Summer Bay after his mother Angie takes the position of Deputy Principal. He begins a relationship with Kirsty Sutherland, which Angie opposes by revealing Rhys Sutherland is Dylan’s father to end their romance. Upon uncovering Angie’s instability and her falsehoods about his paternity, Dylan grows closer to the Sutherlands but faces familial conflicts.

After an accident necessitates a blood transfusion, tests confirm Dylan is not Rhys's biological son. Feeling betrayed by Angie's lies, he tries to rekindle his relationship with Kirsty but it fails. When Angie’s mental state worsens, Dylan plans to leave town with her for treatment; during an altercation, he accidentally causes her death. Although arrested, he is acquitted and moves away with his grandmother Monica Markham.

He later reconnects with half-sister Tasha Andrews and seeks out Angie's lookalike cousin Josie at her city brothel after Tasha disappears. The episode featuring Dylan’s confession received a nomination for an Australian Writer's Guild Award in 2004.

Others

Date(s)	Character	Actor	Notes
21 January – 13 March	Pete Sutherland	Christopher Mayer	Pete, brother to Rhys Sutherland and father of Max, arrives burdened by gambling debts. After fleeing with Max, Pete returns but leaves Max in the care of Rhys and Shelley when pursued by creditors.
22–24 January	Brian Alcott	Richard Healy	Brian, father of Miles Alcott, attends his son's coronal inquest. He reconciles with Alex Poulos after Alex is acquitted and encourages him to move forward.
23 January	Mrs. Alcott	Uncredited	Mother of Miles Alcott; present at the inquest.
5–13 February	Justin Bell	Mitchell Eirth	Justin experiences homelessness and violence; assisted by Flynn Saunders but later accuses Flynn of assault. His mother Maggie attempts blackmail but is stopped by Noah Lawson.
5 February – 1 April	Patricia Morgan	Gennie Nevinson	Principal at Reefton Lakes High; clashes with Donald Fisher over school closures. She submits a proposal favoring her school, opposed by her son Ethan who supports Summer Bay’s campaign.
6 February – 8 March	Maggie Bell	Helen O'Connor	Justin Bell’s mother who evicts him due to violent behavior. She blackmails Flynn following Justin's allegations but is prevented by Noah Lawson and police.
11 February – 12 April	Grace O'Connor	Mary Docker	Nurse at Northern Districts Hospital treating Justin Bell and Nick Smith; dates Nathan Roberts before relocating to Alice Springs with him.
18–20 February	Mr Atkins	David Webb	Lawyer representing Vinnie Patterson in his fraud trial which results in conviction.
19 February	Greg West	Dane Carson	Father of Josh West; encourages Josh to attend university and later entrusts him with managing family businesses due to illness.
20 February	Governor Williamson	Alistair Duncan	Judge who sentences Vinnie Patterson to two years imprisonment for fraud.
21 February – 8 April	Ethan Morgan	Ben Connolly	Leader of the Students Committee at Reefton Lakes High; organizes campaign against school closures including a live stream sit-in. Confesses feelings for Brodie Hanson; arrested but released due to clean record.
25 February	Jenny Latham	Fiona Hepburn	Parole officer assisting Nathan Roberts with job placement.
26 February–14 August 2012	Julie Cooper	Lisa Hayson-Phillips	Nurse at Northern Districts Hospital; befriends Flynn Saunders and briefly dates Tony Holden. Wrongly accused of murder but exonerated; participates in nurses' strike before backing down.
27 February – 21 March	Christopher "Kick" Johnson	Jason Clarke	Exchange teacher from Reefton Lakes High whose casual approach conflicts with Donald Fisher; departs following a traumatic bus crash involving students.
7 March – 6 September	Kelli Edwards	Alyssa-Jane Cook	Local baker supplying Beachside Diner; buys Alex Poulos’ van; relationship strained by harassment from ex-husband Jason Edwards; leaves after realizing Alex’s feelings lie elsewhere.
12 March – 17 April	Jemma MacKinnon	Thea Gumbert	Hairdresser and friend of Kirsty Sutherland who provides fake ID leading to hospitalization incident; found sleeping rough and returns home after parental intervention.
15 March – 13 September	Marie Peters	Cate Murray	Mother of Julius Peters.
28 March – 26 August	Riley Edwards	Issac Gorman	Son of Kelli Edwards.
	Brayden Edwards	Jamie Broadbent
5–30 April 2003	Jackie Turner	Julieanne Newbould	Journalist and mother of Josh West; reports on school protests and aids family reconciliation before leaving after encouraging Josh to visit his ill father.
17 April	Ray MacKinnon	Christopher Burke	Parent of Gemma MacKinnon; persuaded by Shelley Sutherland to allow Gemma’s return home.
	Carmel MacKinnon	Meredith O'Reilly
19 April – 16 July	Aimee Cooper	Rhianna Griffith	Visitor at drop-in centre involved in orienteering competition and bikini car wash fundraiser; disruptive behavior leads to departure; has history of parental loss and abandonment.
23 April – 8 May	Ryan Anderson	Damien Fowler	Bullied child connected to Donald Fisher; victimized through theft and assault.
23 May	Captain Ellis	Christopher Galletti	Captain of Mirgini cruise ship during Summer Bay’s 150th anniversary celebrations.
27 June–4 May 2004	Caitlin	Bree Beadman	Classmate interested in Max Sutherland.
18 July – 5 September	Mav Patterson	Clayton Williams	Vinnie Patterson's cousin involved briefly with Brodie Hanson before departing after tragedy involving Charlotte Adams.
1–27 August	Jason Edwards	Benj Daddario	Ex-husband of Kelli Edwards who harasses her and assaults Alex Poulos; hospitalized after intervention by Jesse McGregor; later reported for theft at drop-in centre.
27 August – 6 September	Bernadette	Celia Ireland	Manager of Yabbie Creek RSL club; awards Colleen Smart a jackpot prize.
17 October–3 July 2003	Mikey Dunn	Trent Atkinson	Autistic student befriending Seb Miller and teacher Sally Fletcher; after incidents including slapping Sally, leaves but returns for Sally’s wedding and briefly works for Scott Hunter before departing again.
17 October–3 July 2003	Mrs Dunn	Susan Kennedy	Mother of Mikey Dunn.
17 October	Kelvin Matthews	James Donnellan	Surf club gym patron making unwanted advances towards Hayley Smith; assaulted by Jesse McGregor who subsequently faces charges.
17–25 October	Tara	Rebecca Murphy	Old friend of Sally Fletcher asked to be surrogate mother; leaves after reconnecting with family following tragic past accident.
6–12 November	Grigg	Amos Szeps	Former cellmate of Jesse McGregor who blackmails Jesse and takes hostages before fleeing using Donald Fisher’s car; found dead days later inside vehicle.