Paris Burnett

Home and Away

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

Home and Away is an Australian soap opera that premiered on the Seven Network on 17 January 1988. The characters introduced in 2002, all under the direction of Series Producer Julie McGuaran, are detailed below. The show's fifteenth season commenced broadcasting on 14 January 2002. Sebastian Elmaloglou joined the cast as Max Sutherland in January, Rhett Giles appeared as Paris Burnett in April, Laurie Foell was introduced as Deputy Principal Angie Russell in September, followed by her son Dylan (played by Brett Hicks-Maitland) arriving in October.

Max Sutherland

Max Sutherland, portrayed by Sebastian Elmaloglou, featured on the series from 21 January 2002 until 1 September 2004. Prior to this, Elmaloglou had minor roles in shows such as GP, making Max his first steady television role. He described Max as "very cheeky," contrasting with his own personality. Around the time of his debut, he viewed reruns of Home and Away that included his sister Rebekah Elmaloglou, who played Sophie Simpson.

Max comes to Summer Bay accompanied by his father, Pete (Christopher Mayer), to live with his uncle Rhys (Michael Beckley) and aunt Shelley (Paula Forrest). When Pete escapes to Hong Kong due to gambling debts, Max’s stay becomes indefinite. He forms a friendship with caravan resident Colleen Smart (Lyn Collingwood) and frequently finds himself in trouble at school alongside his cousin Kirsty (Christie Hayes). Max helps Colleen write a book under the pseudonym "Maxine Peterson," which leads to a short-lived love triangle involving Tamara Simpson (Sophie Luck) and Caitlin (Bree Beadman), both characters soon leaving the storyline.

Subsequently, Max befriends the confused Tasha Andrews (Isabel Lucas) and enters into a relationship with new student Eloise Lennox (Suzanne McEachern), who is suffering from terminal leukemia. Max supports her in fulfilling her last wishes before she passes away in his arms. In response, Max creates a memorial inside an abandoned mineshaft that later collapses while Rhys, Kirsty, and Jade (Kate Garven) come to rescue him; all are saved.

After Rhys divorces Shelley and marries Beth Hunter (Clarissa House), Max faces challenges with her children, twins Henry (Tobi Atkins) and Matilda (Indiana Evans), who initially have conflicts with the Sutherlands. Max and Henry's rivalry culminates in a boxing match won by Henry, although they eventually develop a friendship. Max briefly shows interest in Matilda but is rejected.

Following family turmoil and Rhys’s reunion with Shelley, Max feels disconnected and declines an invitation to move with them to the city, opting instead for boarding school.

Elmaloglou received a nomination for "Best Young Actor" at the 2004 Inside Soap Awards. Channel 5 singled out the 2003 season finale featuring the mineshaft collapse as one of its standout episodes. In 2017, Digital Spy commended Max’s story arcs for their complexity relative to typical child roles in soap operas. Conversely, Inside Soap criticized the terminal illness storyline for reusing themes previously seen with Blake Dean and Meg Bowman.

Paris Burnett

Paris Burnett, played by Rhett Giles, made his first appearance on 29 April 2002 and departed on 10 September 2003. Giles, recognized for his work in All Saints, returned to that series following his stint on Home and Away.

Introduced as the new headmaster of Summer Bay High, Paris succeeded Donald Fisher amid efforts by the education department to shut down the school. He quickly developed a rapport with Irene Roberts, despite initially denying any romantic interest. Their mutual personal hardships were revealed during a social event, which deepened their bond.

By exposing the department's failures with incriminating evidence, Paris contributed to saving the school and grew closer to Irene. Although initially reluctant to pursue a deeper relationship, a shipwreck incident led to an intimate encounter between them. They began dating afterwards, but Irene's foster son Nick opposed the relationship, citing Paris’s youth. Later offered a role in Orange, Paris elected to remain in Summer Bay, ending things with Irene amicably.

Following Donald Fisher's retirement, Paris returned several months later, generating friction with Angie Russell who had anticipated a promotion. He convinced Irene to resume their relationship and moved into the Beach House. However, ongoing opposition from Nick caused tensions that eventually led Paris to move out. After Irene was diagnosed with depression, they briefly reunited until Paris had to leave due to his brother’s fatal accident and the responsibility of caring for his niece and nephew. Although he invited Irene to join him, she declined, resulting in a heartfelt goodbye.

Angie Russell

Angela "Angie" Russell, portrayed by Laurie Foell, first appeared on 26 September 2002 and exited on 21 March 2003, with a subsequent ghost appearance on 24 May 2004. The storyline revealing Angie’s murderer attracted Australian audiences of 1.5 million viewers, surpassing Nine Network's Big Brother Australia 2003. Foell's portrayal earned Angie a place among "The 50 most evil soap villains of all time" according to What's on TV. The Sunday Mercury highlighted the rapid resolution of this plotline as a contrast to the typically longer story arcs found in British soaps.

Dylan Russell

Dylan Russell, portrayed by Brett Hicks-Maitland from Adelaide, debuted on 8 October 2002 and left in 2003, returning for several episodes in 2004. A graduate of NIDA, Hicks-Maitland moved to Sydney for this role which was extended due to producer interest. Years later, he remained best known for this character.

Dylan is described as a mature yet developing 17-year-old with attractive features and empathy. Socially skilled but reserved, he possesses wit comparable to Nick Smith’s. He arrives in Summer Bay following his mother Angie’s appointment as Deputy Principal. Dylan begins a relationship with Kirsty Sutherland that Angie disapproves of; she reveals Rhys Sutherland as Dylan’s father—a claim later disproved by blood tests.

As Angie’s instability intensifies, Dylan distances himself and ultimately fatally wounds her during an argument. Rhys is initially suspected and nearly charged before Dylan confesses to the crime. After being acquitted, Dylan reconnects with his half-sister Tasha Andrews and locates Angie’s lookalike cousin Josie in the city. The episode featuring Dylan’s confession received a nomination for an Australian Writer's Guild Award in 2004.

Others

Date(s)	Character	Actor	Context
21 January – 13 March	Pete Sutherland	Christopher Mayer	Brother to Rhys Sutherland and father to Max, Pete arrives burdened by gambling debts, absconds with Max, returns later, but ultimately leaves Max in the care of Rhys and Shelley when pursued by creditors.
22–24 January	Brian Alcott	Richard Healy	As Miles Alcott's father, Brian attends the coroner's inquest into his son's death, reconciles with Alex Poulos following Alex's acquittal, and encourages him to move forward.
23 January	Mrs. Alcott	Uncredited	Mother of Miles Alcott who is present at his inquest.
5–13 February	Justin Bell	Mitchell Eirth	A troubled and homeless youth assisted by Flynn Saunders, Justin faces legal troubles and family strife; his mother Maggie attempts to blackmail Flynn following Justin's accusations.
5 February – 1 April	Patricia Morgan	Gennie Nevinson	Principal at Reefton Lakes High who disputes with Donald Fisher over potential school closures; she proposes a misleading plan favoring her school, although her son Ethan supports Summer Bay's efforts.
6 February – 8 March	Maggie Bell	Helen O'Connor	Justin Bell's mother who expels him due to violence and unsuccessfully tries to blackmail Flynn Saunders after Justin’s claims.
11 February – 12 April	Grace O'Connor	Mary Docker	Nurse at Northern Districts Hospital treating Justin Bell and Nick Smith; briefly dates Nathan Roberts before departing the area.
18–20 February	Mr Atkins	David Webb	Legal representative for Vinnie Patterson during his fraud trial; ultimately unsuccessful.
19 February	Greg West	Dane Carson	Father to Josh West; encourages his son's university education and later entrusts him with business responsibilities due to illness.
20 February	Governor Williamson	Alistair Duncan	Presiding judge at Vinnie Patterson’s fraud trial who sentences him to two years imprisonment.
21 February – 8 April	Ethan Morgan	Ben Connolly	Student leader at Reefton Lakes High who leads opposition against school closures, supports Brodie Hanson, is arrested during a sit-in protest but subsequently released.
25 February	Jenny Latham	Fiona Hepburn	Parole officer assisting Nathan Roberts in securing employment.
26 February–14 August 2012	Julie Cooper	Lisa Hayson-Phillips	Nurse at Northern Districts Hospital; forms a friendship with Flynn Saunders, briefly dates Tony Holden, faces wrongful murder accusations, and takes part in a nurses’ strike.
27 February – 21 March	Christopher "Kick" Johnson	Jason Clarke	Exchange teacher from Reefton Lakes High who conflicts with Donald Fisher; departs following a traumatic bus accident involving students.
7 March – 6 September	Kelli Edwards	Alyssa-Jane Cook	Local baker supplying Beachside Diner; her relationship with Alex Poulos ends due to interference from her abusive ex-husband Jason Edwards.
12 March – 17 April	Jemma MacKinnon	Thea Gumbert	Hairdresser and friend of Kirsty Sutherland; involved in an underage nightclub incident; experiences temporary homelessness before returning home.
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; covers school events and supports family matters before leaving town.
17 April	Ray MacKinnon	Christopher Burke	Parents of Gemma MacKinnon; convinced to permit their daughter’s return home after expulsion.
	Carmel MacKinnon	Meredith O'Reilly
19 April – 16 July	Aimee Cooper	Rhianna Griffith	Appears at drop-in centre; clashes with Dani Sutherland; befriends Hayley Smith; leaves town after behavioral issues linked to family abandonment arise.
23 April – 8 May	Ryan Anderson	Damien Fowler	School youth subjected to bullying whom Donald Fisher supports.
23 May	Captain Ellis	Christopher Galletti	Captain of the Mirgini cruise ship hosting Summer Bay residents during local festivities.
27 June–4 May 2004	Caitlin	Bree Beadman	Classmate showing interest in Max Sutherland.
18 July – 5 September	Mav Patterson	Clayton Williams	Vinnie Patterson’s cousin involved romantically with Brodie Hanson; relationship ends when he departs alone for Vietnam following tragedy among their group.
1–27 August	Jason Edwards	Benj Daddario	Kelli Edwards’ abusive ex-husband who confronts Alex Poulos and Jesse McGregor; later reported for theft at the drop-in centre.
27 August – 6 September	Bernadette	Celia Ireland	Manager of Yabbie Creek RSL club who awards Colleen Smart a jackpot prize.
17 October–3 July 2003	Mikey Dunn	Trent Atkinson	Autistic student at Summer Bay High who befriends Seb Miller and teacher Sally Fletcher; leaves after year-end dance but briefly returns for employment before departing again.
17 October–3 July 2003	Mrs Dunn	Susan Kennedy	Mother of Mikey Dunn.
17 October	Kelvin Matthews	James Donnellan	Gym patron at surf club who harasses Hayley Smith; beaten by Jesse McGregor, who subsequently faces charges.
17–25 October	Tara	Rebecca Murphy	Old friend of Sally Fletcher asked to serve as surrogate mother; leaves town after reconnecting with estranged family following personal loss.
6–12 November	Grigg	Amos Szeps	Former cellmate of Jesse McGregor who blackmails him and takes hostages before fleeing; later found deceased in Donald Fisher’s car.