A bowl of congee to fill a hungry stomach kick-started a friendship that would lead to a colourful and nature-filled portrait adorning a wall of the National Portrait Gallery.

The painting of the famously bearded Costa Georgiadis was presented with flourish during a public unveiling on Saturday.

The artwork, by artist Rob McHaffie, was commissioned after the gallery invited the Australian public to identify a person who was missing from its collection by voting in The People's Portrait .

The winner, chosen from a shortlist of 25 remarkable Australians, was Costa - a landscape architect, environmental educator and TV presenter.

Costa's "enthusiasm", "positivity" and "passion" for the natural environment, and his "ability to connect with people of all ages" were qualities frequently

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