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Australian in Boardman piles on heaps of careers | Information, Sports activities, Jobs

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Martin Dunham of Boardman, a Realtor with Burgan Actual Property, collects and restores classic guitars, principally Gibsons. He additionally likes to play the instrument in addition to sing.

BOARDMAN — Martin Dunham has come a protracted solution to his profession with Burgan Actual Property — actually and figuratively.

Dunham, who lives within the historic Newport Glen space of Boardman, grew up in Tasmania, one of many Australian islands. He went to Parkland Excessive College via tenth grade as a result of college students in Australia wouldn’t have to attend for 12 years.

He grew up on a dairy farm and began working at age 7, milking cows. His first actual job after highschool was at a tractor sale firm the place he stored the entire stock manually on index playing cards.

Dunham mentioned he felt referred to as to serve God, so he determined to attend a Bible faculty in Jackson, Mich. That’s the place he met his spouse, Carrie, who lived in Beaver Falls, Pa., on the time, in 1990. The 2 bought married in 1992 in Chippewa, Pa., and moved to Boardman in 2004.

BIBLE SCHOOL

The pair was coaching to be missionaries in New Guinea, which is north of Australia. After Bible faculty, the pair attended the English Language Institute in Lake of the Ozarks, Mo., the place they skilled to show indigenous tribal folks in New Guinea who had no written language. The thought was to assist them translate the Bible into their very own language.

“There are 800 tribal lanuages spoken in New Guinea,” Dunham mentioned.

As a result of he and his spouse had a flair for international languages, the institute requested them to not go to New Guinea and as an alternative practice different missionaries to take action. As well as, they pastored at a church in Lake of the Ozarks that was below the umbrella of Calvary Chapel ministries. The Calvary Chapel motion was based by Chuck Smith, whose story was instructed within the film “The Jesus Revolution” starring Kelsey Grammer.

“After we began on the church, there have been 25 to 30 members. After we left 4 years later, there have been 150,” Dunham mentioned.

Along with the language coaching, Dunham mentioned he additionally has been on mission journeys and constructed airstrips in distant areas of the jungle as a part of his missionary work.

MOVING ON

After their stint as pastors, they offered their home in Missouri and headed to Ohio with out having jobs lined up. He mentioned they purchased a car in Columbus from a seller that helped Christian missionaries by shopping for autos at public sale and promoting them for no revenue.

Not lengthy after, he bought a cellphone name from their Realtor in Missouri, who mentioned the sale of their home fell via. The couple deliberate to make use of the proceeds from the home to purchase the car.

A lady on the automobile lot mentioned she knew a man who was hiring. and he landed a job with the Nationwide Federation for Unbiased Enterprise, which lobbies for small companies. He labored there for 11 years.

“It was like God was nudging me. The automobile sale led me to a brand new job,” Dunham mentioned.

He left the NFIB in 2015 and began buying properties and fixing them up in the course of the housing disaster. His household is in the actual property enterprise in Australia, so he bought his actual property license to allow him to begin promoting the homes himself. He labored with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes for 18 months and determined to pursue actual property full time.

Along with working for Burgan Actual Property, the place his major focus is on residential gross sales with an emphasis on working with new buyers, he additionally manages some rental properties regionally in addition to in Canton and Florida, and does house renovations on the facet.

“I prefer to be versatile, and the earnings from my rental properties offers me residual earnings so I can go to my aged dad and mom in Tasmania,” Dunham mentioned, noting the island is “some of the stunning locations on Earth.”

He has two older brothers and one youthful brother, and all of them stay in New Zealand or Australia.

He and Carrie have three youngsters. Youngest son Mitchel attends Walsh College, the place he runs monitor and cross nation. Their daughter, Kellie, works in web gross sales for Fred Martin Ford in Austintown. Their oldest son, Fletcher, lives in Columbus and works for an internet mortgage firm. Carrie owns Physique Works Therapeutic massage in Poland.

GIBSON GUITARS

Along with snowboarding and {golfing}, Dunham’s fundamental passion is taking part in, restoring and accumulating classic guitars, primarily Gibsons. He mentioned his youngsters additionally sing and play guitar and sometimes they’ll play at native venues and at church.

“I’ve cherished music since I used to be 11,” Dunham mentioned. “However I’ve spent the previous few years shopping for classic guitars and restoring them. I like the sounds of an outdated guitar, and I like the totally different tones and pitches and discovering which songs sound greatest plated on each.”

He mentioned he buys the guitars on eBay and Fb Market, in addition to shopping for them at vintage shops. His assortment dates to the Twenties.

“A few of them I’ve restored myself, but when I discover one that’s significantly precious, I’ll ship them out to have them restored professionally. A few of them I’ve offered, however I maintain those I actually like,” Dunham mentioned, “I fall out and in of affection with among the guitars, however some I’ll by no means cease loving.”

Dunham mentioned he’s blessed to be married to his spouse for 31 years, noting she has stood by him via many ups and downs.

“I’m grateful for God’s presence in my life,” he mentioned.

To counsel a Saturday profile, contact Options Editor Burton Cole at bcole@tribtoday.com or Metro Editor Marly Reichert at mreichert@tribtoday.com.

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