'Pinnacle of my life': Australian water speed record holder, Ken Warby, dies
The holder of one of the world's oldest speed records, achieved in a boat on a quaint Australian dam some four decades ago, has died age 84.
Ken Warby first broke the record in 1977, but further tuning and pristine conditions allowed him to take the jet-powered Spirit of Australia to an incredible 511.11km/h (317.59mph) on the Blowering Dam, near Tumut in south-eastern NSW, on October 8, 1978.
In setting that record, Warby became the first man to break the 300mph/500km/h barrier on water, and the first Australian to hold an unlimited speed record on land, water or air.
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He and his son David had together been building a second boat, Spirit of Australia 2, for David to drive with the aim of breaking Ken's record.
Ken Warby with Spirit of Australia in September 1979. Fairfax Media archives
Born in Sydney, Ken Warby held a fascination with watercraft from a young age, and built his first racing boat at just 14.
He continued to build and race boats through the 60s and 70s, before completing a degree in mechanical engineering.
In 1972 he bought three surplus military jet engines, and started his build on Spirit of Australia.
Warby is said to have used just three power tools to complete the build.
In a 2016 interview with the ABC, Warby said the record was the "pinnacle of his life".
"It was quite amazing. In my wildest dreams I never thought that I would hold the record this long," he said.
"In fact, it was an easy run [that day]. With the power that we had in the engine at that stage, it was pretty much a walk in the park, and the boat behaved perfectly.
Ken Warby testing Spirit of Australia before the record attempt. Fairfax Media archives
"It was a dream that I'd had since I was a teenager - of breaking the world water speed record, [so] to achieve it, that was the pinnacle of my life, it really, really was."
Ken was hoping to see David break the record before he passed.
"I've done my deal. I've proved what I set out to prove, done everything I've needed to do in the way of world water speed records … now's the time to sit back," Ken said in the ABC interview.
Spirit of Australia 2, the jet boat David and Ken Warby built to break Ken's water speed record, in testing, filmed for 60 Minutes. Supplied
"There's no doubt I want David to break the record. The record should never live forever. As a matter of fact, I hoped early on that people would've broken my record, but nobody did.
"I'll be there to support him in every way that I possibly can and if he gets it, and when he gets, or [however] it turns out, I'll be a proud father, hell yeah."
After his achievements on water, the Warbys turned their attention to land, strapping jet engines to several vehicles for demonstrations across the country.
David is still yet to set a date for his long-awaited world record attempt.
