About

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I was born in Sydney, lived in Gaythorne, Queensland for 5 years, but returned to Sydney in early 2015. After a tortuous 12 months in Glebe l fled to the peace and tranquility of Ettalong Beach, on the Central Coast of NSW, and live here with my rescue Jack Russell, Flash. I’m Gay and severely vision-impaired (there is a connection), I have a perverse sense of humour, and love provoking argument and debate on subjects.

I obtained my Graduate Certificate in Writing from the University of Technology Sydney in 2004. I was a regular contributor to “Talkabout” magazine, a community organisation publication, for 15 years as well as a number of years on the working group for the magazine. I contributed articles, opinion pieces, side bars and regular columns.

I have written regularly for QPP “Alive” in Queensland. Other writings include articles in “Vertigo”, the student newspaper at UTS, submissions to community magazines, and two poems released in overseas compilations.

Though I write regularly regarding health issues for gay and HIV+ men, I am also interested in fitness and health issues in general, Gay history, Australian history, political comment, and I also include stories resulting from my genealogical research into my family.

I do not consider myself a story writer, though have several on the blog. I prefer writing from life eixperience, my researches into many areas of interest or having a gripe about something.

I am a flaneur (Google it), and loved the study of Contemporary Cultures at university, which I find fascinating.

As well as this I have my chefs creds (from East Sydney TAFE) as well as my Catering Certificate, and have run both my own catering business, and an online provider business (that was destroyed by the GFC). I also have my Certificate III in Fitness, and run senior’s HIIT classes at my local gym. I spent 12 years with the Positive Speakers Bureau, doing public speaking to medical students, nursing groups and HIV community groups on my personal experiences with HIV/AIDS over the last 38 years.

I’m a Buddhist, and post a lot of articles on Buddhism to try to simplify its teachings to the everyday person who may want to know more about it. The appeal of Buddhism is that it is not a religion, but an ideology/lifestyle.

I’m sure you’ll find something interesting here to keep you amused. Enjoy!

14 thoughts on “About”

  1. I’ve read your 2015 article about Mermaid Rock. I’m doing a geology project about east coast tsunami risk and the rock is – while not apparently tsunami origin – illustrative of the power of large wave action. I also know of the Bondi View article (I photographed the pages in the library just recently). Your article mentions views that “there used to be many smaller rocks around this huge one and it was these smaller ones which were washed away during the storms”. This hypothesis did occur to me (so it could be a tsunami emplaced rock after all). Would you have any source for those views (I have to quote sources)? If you want any further details on my “research” I can send you my “findings” too.

  3. Hi Tim just looking at G.O.D archival you have here and would like to correct my name Jade Moon Kemedy to Jade-snow Kemety. Big love Jade

  6. Hi Tim, I’ve just bought a cottage in Goolwa SA that was once owned by Ellen Pickhills. You mention in your writing that George Rickinson Swan Pickhills was your great uncle and included a photo of George in one of your articles. The property Title is in Ellen’s name, although her occupation is listed as “wife of George Rickinson Swan Pickhills, Master Mariner”. It’s fascinating that Ellen’s name appears as the Title holder given it transferred to her in 1883, a time when very few women would have owned property. If you have any information on either of them that you’d be happy to share I’d love to receive it as I’m researching the history of the cottage. I’d be very interested to know if they lived in the cottage (or rented it out) and when they (or just George) left Goolwa and went to Bourke. Thanks very much.

  7. Hi Belinda. Wow…that is unbelievable that you are living in that cottage. I have often wondered if the land my great grand uncle purchased was still around. Yes, I knew nothing about it being in my great grand aunts name, though it is possible that he put it in her name because if the possibility of him having an accident on the Darling as a result of his steamer business. He was also quite the progressive, and a very outspoken man. I have every intention of writing my gg uncles story…trouble is that I have so much information on him that it needs to be collated and put in some sort of order. I will check but I’m pretty sure another great grand aunt…the Captains sister, Clara, was married in the cottage before moving to Tasmania, and my great great grandmother lived there for a while before returning to England. Her story is here on my blog under Rickinson and Elizabeth Pickhills. I will dig out what info I can for you. My families history on the Darling between Goolwa & Bourke is quite fascinating. Any photographs of the cottage, and a photo or photocopy of the deed would be greatly appreciated. Are you a member of Ancestry? And if you give me an email address it would be easier to send info to you. Thanks for contacting me…that is just amazing, and quite exciting.

  9. Fascinating read. I live on Ben Buckler and thoroughly enjoyed reading your piece.

  10. I’m trying to figure out how you think it’s acceptable to copy and paste material from A Bit About Britain without (so far as I know) asking or citing any reference.

  11. Just need to ask and it will be removed…though I need to know what the article is. For me to not reference at the bottom of all articles where info is from would be an oversight, and not deliberate. I provide references, and links. No information is claimed as mine except what I have personally written.

  12. Dear Tim,

    I am writing to you as I would like to ask for your permission to reuse one of the images published on your web-site (https://timalderman.com/tag/vitrasert-implant/) in our scientific review paper on implantable drug delivery systems. I can provide all the details via email.

    Thank you very much,
    Best regards,
    Anna Guller

  13. Hi Anna…thanks for the enquiry. This article was originally written in 2012 by me, then re-edited in 2017 for publication on the blog. When I wrote the original article, I would have just done a web search for images using search terms “cmv retinitis”, and “vitrasert implant”. Unlike now, back then I referenced articles that any information was taken from, but had a bad habit of not referencing images found on the web. So they are not my images. I just did a quick search and most of the images are still there except for the top one of the eye. The photo sources are noted there with the image. I will now update the article again with references. Hope this helps. Regards, Tim

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