Community & Business
25 March, 2026
A month of milestones for the Briskeys
It’s a special month filled with milestones, memories and celebration for local couple Reg and Merle Briskey.
Reg has just celebrated his 95th birthday, Merle will turn 93 next week, and at the end of the month the couple will mark an extraordinary 74 years of marriage.
Together, their story is one of devotion and a life built on family, hard work and love.
Reg was born on 27th February 1931, the youngest child of Norman and Dorothy Briskey, at Clermont.
Arriving six weeks prematurely, Reg said he’s been in a hurry every since.
Much of his schooling took place at Rockhampton, and when he was 18 he joined the army, serving for two years.
It was then that Reg met Merle Paton at a dance, and life as he knew it would be changed forever.
Merle was the daughter of Henry and Jess Paton, formerly of Young Street, Pittsworth.
Over the years, the Paton family tried their hand at a variety of occupations: farming at Kooroongarra, running a café in Chinchilla, operating a convenience store in Anzac Avenue, Toowoomba, and eventually returning to the Pittsworth district.
Reg and Merle were married on 29th March 1952, at St. Stephen’s Church in Neil Street, Toowoomba.
They went on to raise eight children: Gary, Colin, Scott, Linda, Glen, Kerry, Kim (dec’d) and Gina.
In late 1958 they purchased a property on Wallingford Road at Irongate, where they farmed for 50 years with cattle and pigs, but life on the land was not always easy.
Reg recalls the harsh winters and the constant battle with fleas, while Merle remembers living for a time in a simple tent square house with six young children, and taking in the local school teacher as a boarder.
Despite the hardships, the family worked together to make a living.
Reg fed the pigs and cleaned the sties while Merle milked the cows, even while pregnant.
After the baby arrived, she would return to the dairy to continue her work with the newborn resting in a bassinet nearby.
The Briskeys found success exhibiting livestock at agricultural shows in Pittsworth, Brisbane and Sydney.
One of their proudest moments came when they won Supreme Champion Bull at the Ekka.
During the drought, Reg would bale stubble for extra income to support the growing family.
At one time, he worked in the cane fields at Gordonvale and Fishery Falls near Cairns.
Today, their grand-daughter and her family live on part of the property at Irongate.
Around 1978, during the winter months, the family took up fossicking in the gem fields.
Over a period of 20 years they purchased three sapphire claims at Rubyvale.
This became a large part of the Briskey’s life, and Reg was still jackhammering down a mine shaft at the age of 87.
In 2012, after decades on the land, Reg and Merle left the farm and moved to Stanley Street in Pittsworth, where they live today.
Music has also played a special role in their lives.
Reg and his daughter Gina share a love of singing, and the pair recorded their own CDs of music, some of which was written by Merle.
Reg was only 69 years old when he learnt to play the guitar, proving it is never too late to pick up a new passion.
While Merle said their life has been richly blessed, it has not been without heartache.
The couple has endured the loss of a child and four grandchildren, a sorrow that has touched their large and loving family.
Reg and Merle are proud grandparents to 35 grandchildren and 69 great-grandchildren with another expected to arrive in early June.
Their journey together is a celebration of love that has lasted a lifetime, and a gentle reminder to all of us about what truly matters in life - each other.
