WEBVTT - Jack Murray's Explosive Adventure 0:00:03.080 --> 0:00:06.280 It's nineteen to fifty four. On the Nullerball Plane near 0:00:06.320 --> 0:00:10.280 the South Australian border. Two men scramble from a burning wreck, 0:00:10.680 --> 0:00:13.000 just in time to watch their car blow up right 0:00:13.039 --> 0:00:18.640 in front of their eyes. They risked their lives trying 0:00:18.640 --> 0:00:21.120 to put out the fire, but it's a lost cause. 0:00:25.640 --> 0:00:29.400 Fortunately they come away uninjured, but their cross country adventure 0:00:29.480 --> 0:00:32.640 is over. Two hundred and forty six cars had set 0:00:32.680 --> 0:00:35.479 out from Sydney two weeks earlier, attempting one of the 0:00:35.479 --> 0:00:39.520 most grueling motor racing events in history, except it wasn't 0:00:39.560 --> 0:00:43.440 exactly a race. The Round Australia Reliability Trial was an 0:00:43.479 --> 0:00:48.720 eighteen day long distance rally quite literally around Australia, across 0:00:48.760 --> 0:00:50.400 the roads and rugged terrain. 0:00:51.200 --> 0:00:53.680 The goal was to avoid penalties and reach. 0:00:53.479 --> 0:00:56.640 The finish line with your car in mostly one piece. 0:00:58.800 --> 0:00:59.120 Well. 0:00:59.200 --> 0:01:02.400 By the time the flames had extinguished on that exploding citron, 0:01:02.760 --> 0:01:06.080 less than half of the cars remained. Leading the pack 0:01:06.319 --> 0:01:09.399 is a man named Jack Murray driving a Ford V eight, 0:01:09.720 --> 0:01:21.720 who was having an explosive adventure of his own. Hey, 0:01:21.920 --> 0:01:25.120 I'm Tony Armstrong and welcome to the poolroom. This is 0:01:25.160 --> 0:01:28.760 where we celebrate the winners, losers and the weird stuff between. 0:01:46.280 --> 0:01:51.080 When it comes to sporting pursuits, Jack Murray did it all, cycling, wrestling, 0:01:51.360 --> 0:01:54.560 water skiing. His success may have varied, but he was 0:01:54.600 --> 0:01:56.920 the kind of bloke would try anything at least once. 0:01:58.040 --> 0:02:00.960 He was also pretty eccentric, but we'll get to that. 0:02:02.120 --> 0:02:07.000 Jack was especially passionate about motor racing in all its forms. 0:02:09.600 --> 0:02:12.240 He was born in Melbourne and was tinkering with bicycles 0:02:12.280 --> 0:02:15.480 and cars as early as fourteen years old. In his 0:02:15.560 --> 0:02:17.799 mid twenties, he moved to Sydney to work as a 0:02:17.840 --> 0:02:21.040 test driver for Chrysler. Then Jack and his brother set 0:02:21.080 --> 0:02:24.160 up a taxi service and mechanic shop in Bondai. It 0:02:24.200 --> 0:02:27.839 was the nineteen thirties and business was good, but then 0:02:27.880 --> 0:02:30.840 World War II broke out and Jack found himself serving 0:02:30.880 --> 0:02:38.600 on a ship in the Pacific. After the war, the 0:02:38.639 --> 0:02:42.360 brothers continued their business, but Jack also started racing all 0:02:42.440 --> 0:02:46.200 kinds of cars. He raced at Philip Island and Mount Panorama. 0:02:46.680 --> 0:02:49.760 His most famous event, though, is the nineteen fifty four 0:02:50.000 --> 0:02:52.080 Round Australia Reliability Trial. 0:02:56.120 --> 0:02:58.800 The trial was unique in the world of motorsport. It 0:02:58.840 --> 0:03:01.119 took place on open public roads. 0:03:01.080 --> 0:03:04.520 Both tarmac and dirt, and there were sixteen stages over 0:03:04.560 --> 0:03:07.079 two and a half weeks, with more than fifteen thousand 0:03:07.120 --> 0:03:10.960 kilometers covered. The event would passed through capital cities and 0:03:11.040 --> 0:03:17.400 remote towns, but the most remarkable part the cars were 0:03:17.400 --> 0:03:21.600 restricted to everyday vehicles and very few modifications were allowed. 0:03:22.240 --> 0:03:25.120 The big and bulky cars of the forties and fifties weren't. 0:03:24.880 --> 0:03:26.400 Exactly built for rough terrain. 0:03:27.040 --> 0:03:29.800 Winning the event was going to take skillful driving and 0:03:29.919 --> 0:03:34.880 quite a bit of luck. Jack Murray chose his car wisely, 0:03:35.160 --> 0:03:38.480 a nineteen forty eight Ford V eight. It was Canadian 0:03:38.520 --> 0:03:41.040 built and the kind of vehicle used as a taxi. 0:03:42.120 --> 0:03:45.640 Jack bought the black sedan secondhand and spray painted at gray. 0:03:46.200 --> 0:03:47.920 It was later dubbed the Gray Ghosts. 0:03:48.200 --> 0:03:52.200 He even added personal number plates JM four five six. 0:03:53.960 --> 0:03:57.880 The imported Ford had some distinct advantages, a strong chassis, 0:03:58.080 --> 0:04:06.480 a high clearance, and most importantly, hydraulic shock absorbers. The 0:04:06.520 --> 0:04:09.920 reliability trial began on the third of July, departing from 0:04:09.960 --> 0:04:13.400 the Sydney Showground. Around five thousand people turned up to 0:04:13.440 --> 0:04:16.760 see the competitors off two hundred and forty six cars, 0:04:16.960 --> 0:04:20.440 each with a driver and the navigator. Jack teamed up 0:04:20.480 --> 0:04:24.320 with experienced racer Bill Murray no relation. He also rocked 0:04:24.360 --> 0:04:26.840 up to the starting line wearing a guerrilla mask. I 0:04:26.920 --> 0:04:34.600 told you he was eccentric. The event was organized by 0:04:34.600 --> 0:04:37.560 the Australian Sporting Car Club, who also came up with 0:04:37.600 --> 0:04:40.800 the rules. Instead of a first past the post format, 0:04:41.160 --> 0:04:44.440 cars had to travel between designated checkpoints within a specified 0:04:44.480 --> 0:04:49.120 time limit. Teams were handed penalty points for failing to 0:04:49.120 --> 0:04:51.960 make the time schedule, while a certain amount of where 0:04:51.960 --> 0:04:55.120 and tear was allowed. Penalties were also given for damage 0:04:55.120 --> 0:04:59.400 to the cars. They departed in two minute intervals, the 0:04:59.480 --> 0:05:03.320 first team leaving around midday and the last car eventually setting. 0:05:03.000 --> 0:05:04.040 Off at nine pm. 0:05:04.560 --> 0:05:07.679 It was a slow start, with breakdowns and traffic jams 0:05:07.760 --> 0:05:09.280 delaying the first group of cars. 0:05:09.680 --> 0:05:11.479 It was an open road event after all. 0:05:15.760 --> 0:05:19.240 They traveled north to Brisbane via Newcastle before winding their 0:05:19.279 --> 0:05:25.240 way through Bunderberg, Rockhampton, Mackay and Townsville. The first age 0:05:25.320 --> 0:05:28.800 was nothing but eventful. One team had their Jaguar engine 0:05:28.800 --> 0:05:31.400 catch fire, only to put it out and continue on 0:05:31.440 --> 0:05:37.000 their way, and heavy rainfall across Queensland made parts of 0:05:37.040 --> 0:05:49.440 the journey treacherous. The trial continued day and night. Drivers 0:05:49.440 --> 0:05:51.960 would catch a few hours of sleep at major checkpoints, 0:05:52.080 --> 0:05:55.760 then keep going. Occasionally, though they get woken up by 0:05:55.800 --> 0:06:01.720 a loud crack. It was Jack Murray throwing explosives out 0:06:01.720 --> 0:06:05.599 of his car window. You see, sometimes there were obstacles 0:06:05.600 --> 0:06:09.080 on the back roads, large rocks and stuff, and jelligknite, 0:06:09.160 --> 0:06:11.919 a type of explosive would be used to clear a path. 0:06:12.680 --> 0:06:13.040 Well. 0:06:13.279 --> 0:06:16.400 Jack being the Larican, he is also like to celebrate 0:06:16.440 --> 0:06:25.720 with a bang as he passed through towns Unreal. His 0:06:25.760 --> 0:06:30.040 competitors and the police were not impressed, but Jack shrugged 0:06:30.040 --> 0:06:33.120 it off, down playing the explosive to nothing more than 0:06:33.160 --> 0:06:36.360 a firecracker. Jeligknite wouldn't hurt a flee out in the open. 0:06:39.560 --> 0:06:42.680 The prank entered motorsport folklore and gifted him the nickname 0:06:42.720 --> 0:06:50.120 of Jelignite Jack. Back on the road, Jack and Bill 0:06:50.160 --> 0:06:52.640 had hit the lead early and weren't letting up. It 0:06:52.720 --> 0:06:54.960 turns out the old Ford V eight was paying off 0:06:55.240 --> 0:06:59.640 because the next age was one of the toughest. From 0:06:59.720 --> 0:07:03.760 Townsville to Mount Isa, up to Darwin, then down a Broom. 0:07:03.960 --> 0:07:07.440 Drivers had to contend with tight corners, dusty roads, and 0:07:07.520 --> 0:07:09.040 sharp rocks that threatened to. 0:07:08.960 --> 0:07:09.960 Tear up their tires. 0:07:10.640 --> 0:07:13.760 Major hazards like creek beds and river crossings caused some 0:07:13.800 --> 0:07:16.800 teams to call on locals needing help to push their. 0:07:16.680 --> 0:07:17.760 Cars out of the water. 0:07:21.280 --> 0:07:24.760 Next was the long trip south through Meekathara and down 0:07:24.800 --> 0:07:28.680 to Perth before tackling the Nullibore Plane, then onto Adelaide. 0:07:30.920 --> 0:07:32.160 By this point. 0:07:32.080 --> 0:07:36.480 Jack's ford had a crackshock absorber and damaged suspension. Newspapers 0:07:36.560 --> 0:07:39.720 questioned whether it even make it back to Sydney, but 0:07:39.840 --> 0:07:43.280 Jack and Bill remained the only team who'd completely avoided penalties. 0:07:43.880 --> 0:07:54.920 Just the final stretch to go, heading into Melbourne, Jack 0:07:55.000 --> 0:07:59.240 was pulled up and questioned by police. Apparently complaints of 0:07:59.280 --> 0:08:04.040 explosions had been reported around Victoria. Cheekily, Jack denied knowing 0:08:04.120 --> 0:08:07.560 anything about it, before supposedly turning back to Bill and 0:08:07.640 --> 0:08:10.000 asking if they had Anygelic Knight left in the car. 0:08:16.960 --> 0:08:19.760 Lastly, it was on to Canberra before the run home. 0:08:20.400 --> 0:08:23.200 Remarkably, Jack and Bill Murray made it to Sydney without 0:08:23.240 --> 0:08:26.320 a hitch, and they were welcome by twenty thousand spectators 0:08:26.560 --> 0:08:32.400 they had won. Jack and Bill shared the first prize 0:08:32.440 --> 0:08:41.120 of two thousand pounds and collected their winner's trophy. Jack 0:08:41.200 --> 0:08:44.160 Murray went on to enjoy a varied and successful career 0:08:44.160 --> 0:08:48.520 in motorsport, competing in rallies and marathon events. Later in life, 0:08:48.600 --> 0:08:50.960 he ran into some health issues. He needed to have 0:08:51.000 --> 0:08:56.080 a leg amputated because of blood circulation problems. He responded 0:08:56.120 --> 0:08:59.040 in his typical humorous way, just as well, I can 0:08:59.080 --> 0:09:07.320 scale on one foot. Jellic knight Jack died on the 0:09:07.360 --> 0:09:10.400 eleventh of December nineteen eighty three at the age of 0:09:10.400 --> 0:09:14.559 seventy six. He lived a full life doing what he loved. 0:09:15.080 --> 0:09:17.240 Give me a good car, put me in the direction 0:09:17.280 --> 0:09:36.800 of the Aussie Outback and I'm happy. Thanks for listening 0:09:36.800 --> 0:09:40.000 to the ballroom with me, Tony Armstrong, this has been 0:09:40.040 --> 0:09:40.959 an iHeart production. 0:09:41.600 --> 0:09:42.680 Catch you in the next one.