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Keith Barry's scrapbook relating to FIREFLY II
Keith Barry's scrapbook relating to FIREFLY II

Keith Barry's scrapbook relating to FIREFLY II

Compiled by
Dateearly 1950s
Object number00054781
NameScrapbook
MediumPaper, cardboard, ink, plastic, metal
DimensionsOverall: 80 × 275 × 305 mm, 3426 g
ClassificationsEphemera
Credit LineANMM Collection, donated by Jessica Farrugia (nee Barry-Cotter) and Ryan Barry-Cotter.
DescriptionScrapbook full of photographs and items such as telegrams, newspaper clippings and certificates relating to the MG TA-powered hydroplane FIREFLY II. It documents an important part of Australian water speed racing history, recording details about the famous lightweight hydroplane FIREFLY II, as compiled by its maker and driver Keith Barry sometime during the 1980s. On 14 January 1950 at Kogarah Bay in southern Sydney, Barry and FIREFLY II succeeded in claiming the first world water speed record for Australia in the 91 cubic inch engine class division.HistoryAt dawn on Saturday 14 January 1950, two rival teams revved their hydroplane engines on the quiet waters of Kogarah Bay, on the Georges River, southern Sydney, NSW, in front of hundreds of spectators and supporters. What brought them all out so early was the intense rivalry between two speed boat drivers in a race to claim the first world water speed record for Australia. It was the record in the 91 cubic inch engine class (the smallest class of engine), and was eagerly sought by two speed boating families: those of Keith Barry and Ernie Nunn. Barry, an engineer, designer, builder, driver, and President of the Australian Power Boat Association had built his lightweight hydroplane, FIREFLY II, in less than two weeks, after hearing that rival Ernie Nunn, also a designer, builder and speed boat driver, had mounted a challenge for the record, then held by American Jack Cooper. Nunn’s boat DO was to be driven by his niece Enid Nunn – one of a small number of women in the sport – because she was lighter. Keith Barry, a veteran of the sport, had raced boats from the early 1930s. He built his first boat SPITFIRE in 1938, to the then reasonably new three-point hydroplane design; when planing or racing at speed, it rested on three points only – one on each extreme edge on the sponsons, or winglike projections at either side of the front of the hull and the third at the propeller. Barry borrowed the superlight spruce and fabric construction from the aircraft industry, along with the names he bestowed on his boats. SPITFIRE, with its tiny ‘Barry special’ 61 cubic inch, two-cylinder motorcycle engine, held the Australian mile record for nine years, reaching a peak speed of 45.535 mph. Barry built his second hydroplane, FIREFLY, in 1947, fitting it with a 135 cubic inch surplus jeep engine, and was never defeated in three years of racing against more than 100 boats over various events. He also beat Ernie Nunn to the Lawson Shield. But, by the end of the decade of the second world war, larger engines and newer boats were entering the competition and Barry decided it was time to rise to the challenge. His racing-car-driver friend Bill McLachlan offered Barry a 1936 MG TA engine from a smashed car, and Barry set about stripping and rebuilding the engine. Once he fitted it to FIREFLY, he easily beat his record in SPITFIRE at 57mph. Then Enid Nunn raced to 60 mph to take the Australian record, which spurred her uncle Ernie to apply for the 91 cubic inch record, set at 64.689 mph in California in 1941. So the stage was set for a showdown. Barry and friends, including waterski champion Jack Murray, worked night and day for 11 days to build the little hydroplane FIREFLY II from plans drawn at Barry’s kitchen table.They installed the same 91 cubic inch engine and then trialled the 3.79 metre boat on the twelfth day, secretly reaching an average speed of 70mph – over two one-mile runs – beating the record speed. The FIREFLY II team felt quietly confident. At daybreak on 14 January, both teams assembled in front of the huge crowd. At 4.30am, Enid raced Ernie’s hydroplane DO to an average speed of 66.5 mph (106.07kph), becoming the first Australian to break a world record on the water. Success was fleeting. Forty minutes later, Barry lined up and took his new hydroplane FIREFLY II to 72.289 mph (115.66kph). Since both records were broken minutes apart, the Union International du Yachting Automobile awarded the world record to Keith Barry in his heroic, purpose-built hydroplane FIREFLY II. Barry also smashed six NSW and Australian records, including rival Ernie Nunn’s 114.73km/h record speed in the larger engine class - the 255 cubic inch engine capacity. Eleven months later, FIREFLY II extended the record to 78.006 mph with the lighter Bill McLachlan at the wheel. SignificanceThis scrapbook documents an important part of Australian water speed racing history, recording details about the famous lightweight hydroplane FIREFLY II, which succeeded in claiming the first world water speed record for Australia in the 91 cubic inch engine class division for its maker and driver (and also compiler of the scrapbook) Keith Barry in 1950. It gives a special insight into the world of FIREFLY II from the perspective of Keith Barry and also the broader public realm through contemporaneous records.