Max's Island Meet Max Power

Being a lover of pets, and dogs in particular, is something familiar to
many of us on Max’s Island. However, few of us go so far as to dedicate a
big part of our lives to making sure ALL dogs have the best possible life.

Karen Rhodes was introduced to Homer at the Shenton Park Dogs Home many
years ago and that relationship became deep and loving through a mutual
bond between them. Homer was a big, strong masculine dog … but with a heart
of gold and a loving disposition … and he became the companion Karen needed
at the time. She could always depend on him.

Barry Mone is just like any dad … he’ll do anything for his children.

Since late 2017, when his son Charlie had just turned 8, Barry and his
family have been on a crusade. Around this time, through a series of
circumstances and even observations of others … including a lady who they
met at the local park … Charlie was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular
dystrophy (DMD) — an incurable and ultimately fatal condition caused by a
lack of dystrophin protein.

Charlie had earlier in life been diagnosed with Persistent hyperplastic
primary vitreous (PHPV) … a common congenital developmental anomaly of the
eye that causes a level of blindness, so when his “Duchenne” was diagnosed
… life became more complicated.

As Charlie is the only “boy” in the world with both conditions.

Charlie Gunningham was a little uncertain about the long term future of his
teaching career in the late 1990’s. But, like many changes in life, there
was a sequence of events … some unplanned and generally not expected, that
eventually catapulted his professional life from teaching to something
totally different … the tech world of digital real estate.

This mixture of influential events included completing an MBA, connecting
with an American “hedge fund” manager and entrepreneur who had found
himself in Perth WA, investing in untried mapping technology … and even
being on stage with his wife at a Dame Edna Everage show at the Regal
Theatre in Subiaco WA.

And … all of this coming together just as the world wide tech bubble was
about to burst.

Estelle Blackburn OAM, is an acclaimed journalist with a career that has
included working for WA Newspapers, the ABC and as a media advisor for
Carmen Lawrence, Western Australia’s first female State Premier.

However, for this Walkley Award winner, perhaps her greatest achievement
has been the impact made on the lives two men, wrongly imprisoned for
crimes committed by Eric Edger Cooke, WA’s last man hanged in Fremantle
Prison.

A chance meeting with the brother of John Button, one of these falsely
convicted men, sent Estelle on the passionate pursuit for truth and the
quest to right the wrongs of these injustices. And this included giving up
her full time job and selling an investment house to fund this journey.

Pat O’Donnell is a couple of years through her graduate degree at Notre
Dame University in Fremantle WA. Like many new university students, she
started with an initial subject choice, but also like many, that has now
evolved and a double major is likely to result…there’s even talk of an
Honours year and additional studies.

This current journey and the planned outcomes sound typical of any new
student embarking on a tertiary education…It’s just that Pat began this
journey at 83 years of age.

Brooke Jones experienced a strong career, which was most recently within
the health policy and research sector in WA. With the necessary academic
qualifications, she was a knowledgeable policy maker. This allowed her to
be involved in the monitoring and implementation of key programs to support
those in our society.

However, this career was interrupted with her becoming a mother. As can
often be the case after a significant life event, she reassessed her
professional outlook during pregnancy, after child birth and through the
wonder mothering a new born. Brooke changed her focus and has successfully
studied to become a “midwife”