Janet Elizabeth Mathews

Janet Elizabeth Mathews, née Russell, (18 January 1914 – 1 January 1992) was an Australian pianist, music teacher, and documenter of Aboriginal music, language and culture in New South Wales, who added greatly to the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies (AIAS, now AIATSIS) archives. She collaborated with linguist Luise Hercus. In addition to several books on Aboriginal culture, she also authored three children's books.

Early life and education Janet Elizabeth Russell was born on 18 January 1914 at Wollongong, New South Wales, the only child of Irish-born solicitor James Wilson Russell and Australian-born wife Mary Irene (née McLelland). She was raised in Wollongong, educated by her mother, a pianist, and a governess. On the return voyage from a family trip to Britain and Europe, where they attended many concerts, when Janet was 12 years old, she was impressed by the lectures and violin recitals by fellow passenger composer Alfred Hill.

Russell attended Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney from 1927 to 1928, and Frensham School in Mittagong from 1929 to 1930, where she concentrated on studying the piano. The following year she was accepted into the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, where Laurence Godfrey Smith taught piano and Alfred Hill harmony.

Legacy Mathews' recordings of music, language and culture has proven invaluable. She created a total of 180 hours of recordings, from over 80 Aboriginal people, which are now in the AIATSIS archives. and her work is frequently cited.

Selected publications The two worlds of Jimmie Barker: the life of an Australian Aboriginal, 1900-1972, as told to Janet Mathews (1977) – the story of Jimmie Barker who, encouraged by Mathews, himself created over 100 tapes containing the language, stories and customs of the Murawari tribe. Wurley & Wommera: Aboriginal Life and Craft (1979) The Opal that Turned into Fire; and Other Stories from the Wangkumara (1994)