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Janet Matthews

Early in 1964, Janet Matthews (deceased) was asked to do field research for the recently founded Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies. For four years, Janet's field trips covered the coastal area between Sydney and Victoria with occasional visits inland. During this time she worked as a non-Indigenous collaborator to record and collect many language and Dreaming stories of clans who lived along the south coast of New South Wales. Isobel White edited these stories. Lorna Dixon and Jimmie Barker were invaluable informants. The resulting book, The Opal that Turned into Fire, is no longer in print.