Restoration of the Paddlesteamer Ruby

Ruby under tow - 1968

The Ruby has been in Wentworth since 1968, and in its Fotherby Park location since 1969.

The Wentworth Rotary Club came to her rescue after finding the grand old lady of the river languishing as a rotting hulk tied to a tree on the Murray River at Johnson's Bend.

The club purchased the Ruby for $1600 and arranged to have it towed to Wentworth, where it was planned to begin restoration.

It was left overnight at the Wentworth Wharf and promptly sunk.

But the Rotary members were not going to be beaten. The Ruby was refloated, albeit briefly.

Her poor condition and the sinking confirmed the club's worst fears. The Ruby was in bad shape.

Ruby sunk at the Wentworth wharf

The once proud matriach had deteriorated so much that it was decided she should lay up on dry land in Fotherby Park to save a repeat of her sinking and until restoration could begin.

There she sat. While there was plenty of enthusiasm to return her to her former self, there was a distinct lack of funds.

She became a firm favourite for local kids to clamber all over, but she was not a patch on her former self.

Restoration work began in earnest six years ago and the old girl now has water under her for the first time in more than 30 years.

The hull has been fully restored, but the next big project is the upper decks.

The riverboat had to be floating for this work is undertaken. Thus, it was refloated as part of this year's Australia Day celebrations at Wentworth to wide community acclaim.

Mayor, Cr Don McKinnon, described the restoration progress to date as "a long hard road".

"Those involved have put their heart and souls into this," he said at the traditional Australia Day activities in Fotherby Park, held on Saturday, January 26.

Ruby in temporary dock at Fotherby Park

Former cook, Winnie Leach, who was working on the Ruby when it made its final trading voyage to Mannum in 1926, unveiled a plaque marking the occasion of the riverboat's refloating.

Restoration stalwart and former Wentworth Shire Councillor, Reg McKenzie, was fondly remembered as his wife, Anne and daughter, Megan, christened the new hull with a shower of champagne.

Merbein Sawmills supplied many of the new timbers used in the hull's reconstruction. Proprietor Doug Rowe said his company had a policy of supporting community projects and the Ruby was "one of the best".

Restoration committee chairman and former riverboat captain Leon Wagner explained that the Ruby had to be floating for the next stage of the restoration to be completed successfully.

"The boat changes shape once it is in the water. If we went ahead with the decks re-fit without it being in the water we would not be able to open the doors and windows once it was re-floated," he said.

The upper deck restoration work is expected to take two to three years, but will be a lot simpler than the hull works, which required committee members to learn a range of skills that have been out of vogue for many years.

"The upper deck re-fit will be simple carpentry in comparison."

The heart of the Ruby restoration, the refurbishment of the riverboat's steam engine, will also be completed during this period.

The 20 horsepower 1926 Robey engine, sourced from Sydney several years ago, is in good condition and reconditioning should be straightforward, Captain Wagner said.

Once restoration work is compete, the levee behind the vessel will be opened when the Darling River level is suitable and the Ruby will be floated out into the stream.

It will then be moored proudly at or near the Wentworth wharf to become a community asset.

Just what its role will be after this depends on a lot of things, Captain Wagner said.

"It is sure to become a training vessel for riverboat crews, from skippers through to deckhands," he said.

"It will almost certainly be staffed by a volunteer crew and will have to make some sort of commercial trips on a regular basis to fund its upkeep.

"I would like to see it making trips both upstream and downstream."

Although the future for the Ruby has not crystallized, there is sure to be plenty of interest in her welfare and she will be the jewel in the crown for the historic Port of Wentworth."

Ruby in temporary dock at Fotherby Park

The Mayor, Cr Don McKinnon, said the Ruby "was worth more than gold" because there were so few original riverboats remaining, particularly steam examples.

"It will be a real asset to Wentworth and Sunraysia," he said.

Both the Mayor and Captain Wagner paid tribute to the foresight of the Wentworth Rotary Club for securing the vessel for the Shire back in 1968.

The Ruby was built at Morgan, South Australia, in1907 for the Gem Navigation Company as a passenger vessel. It is a sister vessel to the Gem and Marion.

She plied the Murray regularly between Morgan and Swan Hill until the mid-1920s.

She then became a special events only boat after the Gem Navigation Company merged with the Murray Navigation company and many of the fleet were retired. The writing was on the wall for the mighty riverboats and their trading days were numbered.

She was bought to Mildura in 1938 for use as a houseboat.

In the early 1950s she was retired for the final time. Anything worthwhile was taken from her, like her steam engine 'heart', and the rest towed to Johnson's Bend to rot way on the riverbank.