Two Accidents for John Lewis in Vulture

John Lewis’s first major accident in Vulture was while competing in Shaw Memorial Unlimited Open – Event No 16 – Time 4.15 p.m. on Easter Sunday ~ 11th April 1971. (A race which was part of the 1971 E. C. Griffith Meet at Lake Eppalock).

John was driving Vulture and was sitting with the leaders, hit bad wash and was suddenly thrown heavily out across his speedboat, injuring his side badly as he took a piece out of the boat’s coaming. Vulture slewed around and chopped across her driver, leaving John minus his helmet, in the water. John became the first person rescued using the new “Record Inflatable Stretcher”. A lightweight unit developed for the club use, designed to float an injured man to shore to remove the danger of further injury from being pulled into another vessel.

Vulture’s spring-loaded gas pedal failed to cut off and kept charging across the course at around 40 mph, somehow avoiding two other speedboats, run up the bank 50 feet amid fleeing spectators. Vulture demolished two chairs, a picnic table, and parked next to a car which Clive Davis’s wife had been sitting. There were no other injuries, and Vulture received only minor hull damage and a bent prop.

Lewis was taken to Bendigo Base Hospital by ambulance, with a police escort.
Injuries received; 4 broken ribs, head gash receiving 10 stitches, cracked vertebra’s with torn back muscles. John spent 7 days at Bendigo Base Hospital. (Dad actually signed himself out of Hospital as he realised, he was addicted to morphine and was furious. Rang Rob Wilmot to come and get him, then went home on a mattress in the back of Rob’s Panel Van. Dad had a scar on his fore head and a sore back for the rest of his life: from the accident not from the back of Rob’s Panel Van lol)

A Giant Get Well Card for John Lewis, with a great poem!

Accident at Albert Park Lake – A Grade Scratch Event
November 21st 1971
‘POWER POINTS’

John Lewis, Les Ramsey or Allen Brown is likely to forget the November meeting on Albert Park Lake in a hurry.

John, out for the first race since his last accident, 7 months ago, entered the one-and-only start in the ‘A Grade Scratch’ to help recover his nerve after his bad smash on Griffith Cup Day, was thrown once again by Vulture and ended up the bank. Dave Gill said he knew why Vulture was having difficulty, but John never got the boat back to Gilflite, to make the adjustments.

After the flag-fall, the field tramped it and when Vulture reared high in the air, came down on one side, and screwed in. Lewis was flung across the cockpit and was knocked cold on the jockey’s grab handle on the dash. Fortunately John was wearing a new regulation Crash Hat which split approximately 5” under the impact. If John hadn’t been wearing this hat it could have quite easily been another story.

The cut-out worked, and Vulture idled across the course, eventually coming to rest halfway up the bank (see photo).

On the red flag, Les Ramsey was quickly at the scene in his Speedboat, Cheeta and rendered aid to an unconscious Lewis in the cockpit of the crashed Vulture, with help from the crowd, including Brownie.

John, who came round shortly afterwards, and taken to Prince Henry’s Hospital for observation. John’s memory was lost for a few weeks, as a result of this accident, but returned after reading about this incident in a boating magazine. Dad told me he had no idea who Mum was and who are these kids (me and my sister)?

Les Ramsey went on to win the race re-run and, eventually, the ‘Len Owen Memorial’, one of the prestige trophies of the sport in Victoria.

Les Ramsay and Allen Brown (who raced Hydrophobia) lifting John Lewis from Vulture parked half way up the bank on Albert Park Lake.
Les Ramsey went on to win the 'Len Owen Memorial' in his runabout 'Cheeta'
Cheeta with Ramsey in 'Seacraft Magazine' ~ 1972

References: ‘Victorians Stampede in 1971 Griffith Cup’ article.

‘Accident on Albert Park Lake’ from ‘Power Points’ p. 77, Modern Boating Magazine,  Jan, 1972.

Photographs from ‘Power Points’ p. 76, Modern Boating Magazine, Jan, 1972.

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