Sporting moments revisited
The driving forces behind Tru-Jen, from left, Harold Bungard, Peter Hill, Bill Ruffell and Harry Rutledge.
Iconic speedboat captured Marlborough hearts WORDS: PETER JONES
D
uring the 1960s she was one of this province’s most famous sporting identities.
Her deafening roar could send shivers down your spine and the ground would shake as she passed by. Capable of drawing thousands of spectators, her exploits became legendary. Her name was Tru-Jen and her story is one of courage, ingenuity and a bloody-minded pursuit of excellence. Tru-Jen was an unlimited hydroplane speedboat, powered by an Allison aircraft engine. She was constructed in a Blenheim backyard by local enthusiasts Harry Rutledge and Bill Ruffell, with the sole purpose of claiming the Masport Cup, the long-standing
20
June 2021
SUPPLIED
national symbol of speedboat supremacy. Standing in her way was Redhead, piloted by the legendary Len Southward, a boat who had won the cup almost every year since 1948. In 1959, Tru-Jen - at that stage named Susan Leigh II - and Redhead met on Picton Harbour, in front of 14,000 spectators, Expectations were high, but were quickly dashed when a broken propellor sent the local boat to the bottom of the harbour. Ironically, Redhead also sank on the same day but, unlike the craft that would later resurface as Tru-Jen, it was not re-floated. The Picton setback merely strengthened Harry and Bill’s resolve and, over the next decade, their resilience was well rewarded.
