Robert Charles Kelly was born at Riverton, South Australia on 22 June 1912. He was educated at state schools and Prince Alfred College, Adelaide and then farmed at Tarlee, South Australia. He was a Member of the South Australian Committee of Soil Conservation (1940-58), the Advisory Board of Agriculture (1941-58) and, in 1951, was awarded a Nuffield Scholarship.

In 1958, Kelly was elected to the House of Representatives as Liberal Member for Wakefield. He held the seat until retiring prior to the December 1977 elections. 

Early in his political career, Kelly was awarded a Commonwealth Relations Grant (1961) and served on Parliamentary Committees relating to Public Accounts and Audit (1962-63), Grievances of the Yirrkala Aborigines, Arnhem Land Reserve (1963) and Foreign Affairs (1964-66). He was also Deputy Government Whip and Parliamentary Representative on the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation Advisory Council (1964-67 and again in 1977). 

In the Holt and Gorton Governments, Kelly was Minister for Works (1967-68), Minister for the Navy (1968-69) and Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works (1969-72 and 1976-77). He was also a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Northern Territory (1973-75), Parliamentary Representative on the Automotive Industry Advisory Council (1977) and, after leaving federal politics, Chairman of the Committee of Inquiry into Meat Inspection (1978-80).

Kelly was awarded the Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in 1980. He died in Adelaide on 17 January 1997. 

Publications:
Regular articles in
Stock Journal 'Dave's Dairy' (1959-68)
Financial Review 'Modest Member' (1968-77)
'Modest Farmer' (1977-81)
 

Sources:

Parliamentary Handbook 1965, p 135; 1968, p 147; 1976, pp 98-99
Who's Who in Australia 1974, p 585; 1988, p 495
Joan Rydon, A Biographical Register of the Commonwealth Parliament, p 122
Commonwealth Directory 1965, pp 11, 169; 1977, pp 12, 168, 243
Australian Financial Review, 23 December 1977, p 3
Adelaide Advertiser, 18 January 1997

Summary heading

  Hon  C R Kelly (CP 40)

Unregistered links

  1961:  Inquiry into Sheep Industry, Nepal – Member

  1977:  Automotive Industry Advisory Council – Parliamentary Representative