[1][2] Mathers emigrated to New South Wales in 1897 with his wife Margaret and five children to work as a missionary amongst Sydney's inner-city poor.

The mission required its workers to make home visits, spend time with the aged, infirm and lonely as well as to dispense practical help in the form of food, clothing and financial assistance.

He visited the poor and sick, providing food parcels and Sunday breakfasts from Mission Hall in lower Fort Street.

[2] In emigrating to New South Wales, James Mathers, followed in the footsteps of his brother and sister who had settled in Sydney.

[3] Mather's journals have survived and document his daily work amongst the poor as well as providing an insight into his personal life and circumstances.