Janet Mathews
Janet Mathews, born Janet Russell on January 18, 1914, in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia, was a notable concert pianist, music educator, and writer. She studied at the Conservatorium of Music in Sydney and initially pursued a career in music, performing and teaching piano until 1966. Mathews’s contributions to music took a significant turn when she began working with Braille music notation, earning her Braille Writers' Certificate in the early 1960s, which led her to blend her musical background with writing.
Her passion for Aboriginal culture emerged in the 1960s when she was invited to conduct fieldwork among Indigenous Australians, where she documented their languages, customs, and music. Mathews authored several influential works, including "The Two Worlds of Jimmie Barker," which explored Aboriginal life through her interviews and research. She also produced children's books that highlighted Aboriginal customs and beliefs in an accessible format, bridging cultural history for younger audiences. Mathews’s work has continued to resonate through her commitment to preserving and sharing the rich heritage of Aboriginal peoples, culminating in the posthumously published "The Opal That Turned into Fire." She passed away in early 1992, leaving a lasting legacy in both music and literature.
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Janet Mathews
Writer
- Born: January 18, 1914
- Birthplace: Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
- Died: 1992
- Place of death: Australia
Biography
Janet Mathews was born Janet Russell on January 18, 1914, in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia, to James and Mary Irene Russell. Her mother was a pianist. Following in her footsteps, Janet attended the Conservatorium of Music in Syndey, Australia, from 1930 to 1935. Just prior to receiving her diploma, she was offered piano work in France and took the offer, living with a French family and delaying her certification a year.
Shortly after arriving home she married Frank Mathews, an engineer, on December 3, 1936, and did not return to complete her final exams. She worked as a concert pianist until 1953 and as a piano teacher from 1953 to 1966. She was an original council member of concert series for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. Mathews and her husband raised three children. He died in 1982 and Mathews died about ten years later in early 1992, in Australia.
A writer since 1972, Mathews was known for her work recording the music, tales, and lifestyle of the Aboriginal people of Australia. Her writing career came by way of transferring music into a new system for writing music in Braille. She received her Braille Writers’ Certificate in the early 1960’s. She did so teaching and felt the need to balance music with writing that she transferred books into Braille instead of music.
In 1963, Mathews was asked to do fieldwork among Aborigines due to her music background. In addition to their music, she was interested in their languages, customs, and other aspects of tribal life. Her field research took place in remote areas and she recorded Aborigines who retained linguistic and other important knowledge. Within three months she had become fairly knowledgeable about Aboriginal history. Her first books came out of tapes and notes she had taken on interviews with one Aborigine in 1972. The result was The Two Worlds of Jimmie Barker: The Life of an Australian Aboriginal, 1900-1972, published in 1977.
Mathews’s interest in Aboriginal history drew from and built on that of her husband’s grandfather, R. H. Mathews, who conducted early major research while a surveyor as a young man. From 1977 to 1984, she served as a field researcher for the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies in Canberra and spoke at schools and for groups interested in Aboriginal studies.
Three books for children by Collins publishing were often read and enjoyed by adults as well. Wurley and Wommera: Aboriginal Life and Craft, Totem and Taboo: Aboriginal Life and Craft, and Fossils and Families are completely factual and describe the customs and beliefs of Australian Aborigines in an engaging yet informative manner. Mathews also compiled a work of tribal folktales and legends. The Opal That Turned into Fire, and Other Stories from the Wangkumara was edited and published posthumously in 1994.
Mathews’s focus on Aboriginal tales, customs, and tribes bridges the dimensions of Australian history and culture to build a strong connection between past and present for today’s young people.