In 1948 Stan Kelly worked in the Office of the Public Trustee and the Titles Office, Melbourne. In 1949, he was appointed the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages and began studying Pitman shorthand at Zercho’s Business College, passing the 130wpm test.
In 1959 he was appointed as a permanent private secretary to various Crown Ministers.
Stan married in the Western District in 1953, passing the Supreme Court Licensed Shorthand Writers’ examination in 1954.
Then appointed to a position of reporter with the Government Shorthand Writers’ Office, he remained for 16 years reporting anything the Government required such as Royal Commissions, Boards of Inquiry, Coronial Court cases dealing with murder and manslaughter, the Transport Regulation Board, Parliamentary Committees, Medical Board Inquiries, Court Martial cases, Attorneys-General meetings, Governor-in-Council meetings, and the like.
The last Royal Commission he reported was into the collapse of the Westgate Bridge in 1970. He reported at least 500 murder and manslaughter cases.
In 1971, Stan was appointed by the Public Service Board to the position of Deputy-Chief Court Reporter of the Supreme, Country and Magistrates’ Courts.
In 1974 he was appointed as Victoria’s Chief Court Reporter overseeing the interests of 21 Supreme Court judges, 20 County Court judges and committal Magistrates, with a staff of 120.
He held the position of Courts Administrator for 10 years and in 1984 retired at the age of 60 having been in the Public Service for a period of 36 years.
Stan taught Pitman shorthand at Stott’s Business College for approximately 15 years and conducted the Licensed Shorthand Writers’ class for about 8 years before becoming Chief Reporter.
He was then appointed as an examiner for the Licensed Shorthand Writers’ exam, reading speed exams as high as 300wpm, a position he held for 10 years before retiring.
In about 1957 he was appointed a Fellow of the Commercial Education Society of Australia (CESA),
After Stan’s wife and he toured the world they retired to Mornington, Victoria in 1987 where she contracted a brain tumour and died in 1988.
In March 1996 Stan was inducted into the SRAA’s Hall of Fame, which he regards as a great honour.
He generally meets up with past reporting friends and present reporters at an annual breakfast in Melbourne.
Stan has 12 grandchildren who keep him occupied, he attends various functions and lectures, visits the gym twice a week and does plenty of gardening to keep him healthy.
Stan Kelly is 84.
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