This photograph shows Stan Kelly pictured with his two quite disparate passions: eucalypts and trains.

Stan Kelly O.A.M. (1911 – 2001) was known in the Ararat region as an engine driver with a passion for the bush, and painting plants and flowers. In the wider world, Kelly was recognised as one of Australia’s premier botanical illustrators, especially respected for his published works on eucalypts.

Kelly's first book, Australian Eucalypts in Colour, was published in 1949, followed by his most celebrated work, Eucalypts Volumes I & II, first published in 1969, which became a core reference for students of Australian botany.

In 2009, a selection of Kelly’s botanical illustrations was adapted for the ‘N’ series Australian passport.