She had portrayed both a prisoner and a neighbour, but those remembering her have recalled her acting talents and zest for life.
Friends, family, and a who’s-who of Australian entertainment recently honoured Janet Andrewartha with a touching and emotional farewell at Melbourne’s National Theatre, following her untimely passing.
Best known for her role in Neighbours as Lyn Scully, the star of stage died in her sleep on July 29. The memorial took place on what would have been her 73rd birthday.
Former Neighbours co-star, Jackie Woodburn (known to fans as Susan Kennedy) delivered her tearful tribute from Italy and admitted that she felt “cheated” by her friend’s death but touched on Andrewartha’s enthusiasm for life.
“I loved that for seven years Janet owned a convertible, but only ever put the top down in winter and blasted the heater at the same time,” Woodburne said.
“I loved how she would become so excited about chocolate-covered bullets and a cryptic crossword.
“I love that in work and in life, she was never attracted to the predictable. Janet was always drawn to the lateral, the different, the outliers, the disenfranchised,” she added.
Meanwhile, Andrewartha’s daughter Eloise spoke about what a “big deal” it was when her mother started on Neighbours as it provided the family with a “steady income.”
Despite their financial struggles, Eloise described how her mum would spoil her as a little girl and take her to ‘fancy hotels’ for room service, massages, and other treats.
She also shared an insight into her mother’s adventurous spirit, recalling her mother’s excitement when they got lost on a road trip.
“I was horrified, but she was thrilled. She said, ‘I just love getting lost! It means you get to see things that you’ve never seen before,'” Eloise said.
While Andrewartha did not set out to grace the stage or screen, family stories reveal how she showed a gift for impressions from an early age. Her sister Kerry said that a teenage Andrewartha “would come home from school and mimic people quite unconsciously.”
“She would take on gestures and hand movements and voice inflections of her friends and teachers. My father would say, ‘Oh who have we got for dinner tonight?’
Andrewartha had already made an impression in drama school, admits Jane Russ, the casting director for Prisoner (later rebooted as Wentworth) and Neighbours who was told to, “Look out for this girl. Keep an eye on her.'”
“And I did,” she added.
Andrewartha, initially a music teacher, transitioned to acting after being asked to stage a musical at her high school. She pursued drama at the National Theatre, graduating in 1979.
Andrewartha’s early career featured a one-woman show, Singing in the Raid, and roles in Carson’s Law and Prisoner, where she portrayed Reb Kean. She was active in Melbourne Theatre Company productions, earning a Green Room Award in 1987.
Her television career included a notable role in the ABC drama Embassy, earning her an AFI nomination. Andrewartha also had significant roles in numerous plays, including Othello, A Happy and Holy Occasion, and Hotel Sorrento.
In 1999, she joined the soap opera Neighbours as Lyn Scully, a role she played until 2006, with several returns until 2011. She appeared in Seven Types of Ambiguity in 2017 and had recent roles in Safe Home (2023) and Fake (2024).