AustLit

Tim Heffernan grew up in the country villages and towns of Swan Creek, Dalton, Uranquinty and Wagga Wagga and spent twenty years teaching English and History at high schools in Albury, Wagga Wagga, Cooma, Nowra and Wollongong. Since his literary debut in The Wagga Wagga Daily Advertiser in 1985 Heffernan's poems have mostly been published online at OZpoet, The Poets' Union, Thylazine, Cordite and Eureka Street. He has also published educational research for the National Schools Network. Since 2007 Heffernan has represented The Black Dog Institute as an Ambassador and Community Speaker. Leaving teaching in 2005, he has worked as a carer for adults with intellectual disabilities and more recently as a consumer advocate in mental health. In 2007 Heffernan's poem, Bower Bird Blues was included in South Coast Writers' Centre anthology The Memory Box and in 2008 he was commissioned by the Wollongong Art Gallery to write and perform two poems in response to the works of the Wollongong surrealist artist Joan Meats. In 2009 two short poems were selected and exhibited as part of the Guerrilla Knitters' installations during the Viva la Gong festival. Tim lives in Wollongong.