TRIBUTES are pouring in for the late Ken Warby, the Newcastle-born speedboat racer who held multiple world speed records, and who died on Monday in the United States, aged 83.
HE spent much of his life abroad, but the daredevil speedboat builder and racer was very much a Novocastrian.
On Facebook, friend Mark Godfrey wrote: "I lost a good friend last night, Australia lost a legend and the world a true gentleman.
"Ken Warby passed away at about 8.30 last night after being in pain for some time. Ken is the World Record Holder of the World water speed record of which he has held for over 40 years.
"His boat Spirit of Australia was built in his backyard at Lake Macquarie using plywood and 3 power tools.
I worked on his second boat and have my name engraved into the hull.
He was a gentleman and legend. Calm waters old friend. Rest in peace."
Warby's entry in the Australian National Maritime Museum says: "Born in Newcastle, Warby was one of five children born to Neville and Evelyn Warby.
"At the age of 16 Warby was at a Scout camp at Croudace Bay ... when he saw a 13-foot racing speedboat.
"It had an immediate impact on him and once home he began to design and build his own.
"This first boat was built from plywood and maple wood, ten foot long and was fitted with a 1934 Ford Perfect four cylinder engine.
"Warby took the boat to trial it on Croudace Bay and despite it not being wildly successful, Warby was determined from then on to become the fastest man on water.
"Warby started to improve on his designs by studying other boat builders - particularly that of his hero, Donald Campbell.
"He began to attend races at Newcastle Royal Motor Yacht Club (at Toronto), learning what he could about engines and speed performance.
"Warby joined BHP as an apprentice mechanical engineer but continued his growing passion for water speed racing. He built another boat, this time a 15 footer, and he began to win races."
They were very different times to now.
Alma Tate, who with her late husband Cedrick ran an auto transmission business that was next door to the Warby family home in New Lambton, remembered him as a boy who was "always whittling something with his pen-knife".
"He was someone who liked a challenge," Mrs Tate said.
Mrs Tate - a Newcastle councillor before her son, John Tate, became Newcastle Lord Mayor - said the Warbys were "like family to us, and us to them".
She said Ken's father drove a truck for a firm called Ridges that made fibrous plaster board - a wall and ceiling lining board that was a precursor to gyprock.
She remembered Ken as a boy working for "the chemist shop across the road".
Mrs Tate said the Warbys "were always talking about selling up", and when they did put the house on the market, the Tates bought it.
John Tate also shared his memories of growing up around the Warby family, saying he was closest in age to Robert, the youngest of four children, with Ida the oldest, followed by Neville and Ken.
The Australian National Maritime Museum owns his most famous speedboat, Spirit of Australia, which it bought in 1983, after his 1978 run on Blowering Dam in the Snowy Mountains.
The maritime museum says Warby had moved to Sydney by the time his high-speed exploits were attracting attention.
"In 1969 his growing engineering knowledge, incredible natural intuition was combined with his practical experience as a boat builder," the museum's profile on him continues.
"In the backyard of his Sydney suburban home, now with a wife and family of his own, Warby began to construct what would become the fastest boat ever built.
"Warby, now working as salesman, undertook the designing and building of his boat in his spare time in his backyard in Concord, Sydney.
"He procured the materials himself and the actual building. But financial and time restraints were always obstacles to what he knew was his life purpose, to be the fastest man on water.
"Driven by a steady determination that never wavered, even in the face of widespread scepticism, Warby pushed on.
"He changed jobs, taking up selling paintings in shopping centres and sought advice from those whose expertise might help, such as Professor Finks.
"But at the end of the day, it was Warby who made the final decisions and Warby whose life would be on line.
"In 1977 on Blowering Reservoir, Warby set a new world water speed record that he broke in the following year.
He later took up land racing in dragsters and big trucks with big jet engines and moved to the United States.
Although Warby had at one stage thought of taking to the water to better his own world speed record, he decided against (it) ..."
In a 2015 profile, journalist John Huxley described Warby's record-breaking run: "Suddenly, the impoverished Warbys were world-famous. Ken was made a member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) and was given a sum of money by then prime minister Malcolm Fraser to promote Australia. He appeared on This Is Your Life and met his hero, country singer-songwriter Slim Dusty."
Huxley described Warby as "a self-taught engineer and boat builder, who had worked in the 1970s as manager of BHPs lubrication department in Newcastle".
"Ken soon discovered that breaking records would not make him and his young family rich.
"In the early 80s, he abandoned hopes of winning sufficient sponsorship in Australia and struck out to the US to do what he did best: design, build and race fast cars, trucks and boats.
In 2015 he was living in Ohio and running a ready-mix concrete business.
Here is his story told in the words of father and son from the Newcastle Herald archive: February 20: 2015
The Spirit of Australia 2 racing team also posted a tribute on Facebook, saying: "Ken was a gifted mechanical engineer from Newcastle ... with a passion for boat racing.
"He started building boats in his parent's backyard, continuing on to racing them at Toronto RMYC, on Lake Macquarie. Ken won three state championship in his skiff Monte Cristo, as well as racing limited hydroplanes & outboards with success.
"With an urge to go faster, and inspired by Donald Campbell's World Water Speed Records in Bluebird K7, Ken set out to become the fastest man on water. With a young family supporting him, Ken designed & built Spirit of Australia in the family backyard over a period of four years.
"Ken gradually built the speeds up with his boat, adding numerous Australian water speed records along the way culminating in his first Unlimited World Water Speed Record in 1977 on Blowering Dam N.S.W Australia, with a speed of 288mph.
"Ken returned in 1978 to Blowering Dam to claim his second and current Unlimited World Water Speed Record of 317.60mph."
That speed equates to 511.11 kmh. Wikipedia says that of the 13 people who have attempted the record since 1930, seven have died.
"Ken Warby is the only person to ever design, build and drive a boat to an unlimited water speed record, the first Australian to hold an unlimited speed record," the profile continues.
"Ken received an M.B.E off Queen Elizabeth II for services to powerboating and 2 U.I.M gold medals for services to power boating.
"He was one of the first 200 inductees into the National Sporting Hall of Fame - the only power boat racer inducted.
"Ken was also an accomplished racer of Jet Dragsters, Funny cars and Trucks,,racing both in America & Australia.
"More recently Ken has been closely involved in the design, build and running of Spirit of Australia II alongside his middle son David.
"As a master-class between father and son, the new Unlimited World Water Speed Record boat is continuing to build speed with Ken updated on progress.
"Ken will be greatly missed by his family and Team Warby Motorsport. His knowledge and Australian sense of humour can never be replaced."
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