After 29 years and 89 issues, Carrie Tiffany is leaving her position as consultant editor of the Victorian Landcare and Catchment Management magazine to take up a lectureship in English and creative writing at La Trobe University.

Carrie said, “It is a reluctant resignation. Landcare has been a major part of my life for a long time. I am going to miss it. I’m immensely proud of what we’ve done with the magazine over these years.”

Carrie began her career as a park ranger, working in the NT and, in the 1990s with Victoria’s then Department of Conservation,
Forests and Lands. She moved into a statewide role working with communities writing Salinity Management Plans. In 1996 Carrie was part of the team that produced the first Victorian Landcare Magazine and has worked as its editor and consultant editor since then.

Carrie has a deep knowledge of Landcare, its history, its values and its people. Along with writing many stories that featured in the magazine, Carrie worked with more than 900 story contributors. She collaborated closely to assist contributors to plan, draft and polish their stories so they were compelling, clear and logical, while respecting each unique voice.

The magazine is published by the Victorian Government and has more than 22,000 readers. Since 2016 many readers are now online. Since the creation of a digital index in 2015 every story in the magazine can now be searched by author, title, and topic, creating a rich resource of Landcare knowledge.

The magazine plays a significant role as a voice for Victoria’s grassroots Landcare and environmental volunteer community. Through their stories in the magazine Landcare and environmental volunteers share the positive impacts of their on-ground environmental projects, their innovations, challenges, and failures, and learn from each other.

While editing the magazine Carrie completed an MA and a PhD in Creative Arts and wrote three prize-winning novels, all with environmental themes. Mateship with Birds won the inaugural Stella Prize in 2013. She also writes short stories and essays.

Landcare will continue to play a role in Carrie’s professional life. She is currently re-writing the subjects she is teaching at La Trobe to include some Landcare content.

Carrie’s departure as editor of the magazine marks the end of an era, and it is hard to envisage the magazine without her.

Thank you, Carrie. We have an immense debt of gratitude for all your work on the magazine.

John Robinson is a Senior Project Officer, Victorian Landcare Program, at DEECA. John has worked with Carrie to coordinate the production and publication of 30 issues of the magazine and has also contributed stories. For magazine enquiries email landcare.magazine@deeca.vic.gov.au