BRASSALL couple, Keith and Marlene Rea, stood in the grounds of the Marburg Lutheran Church where 60 years ago their married life had begun.
They were surrounded by three generations of their family as there could not be a celebration without the most important people in their life.
One was missing. Mark, the younger of their two sons, had passed away 13 years ago.
Yet it was not a time for sadness. Mark was present in their memories and there was joy in knowing what 60 years together had brought them.
They had achieved the ambition of leading their lives as Christians, of nurturing four children – two boys and two girls – of separating want from need and being prepared to work towards achieving what was needed.
Their anniversary was celebrated in the Marburg Lutheran Church hall on June 8, 2025 – with an afternoon tea, attended by 60 relatives and friends – less than a month after their wedding date all those years ago on May 15, 1965.
Back then, they were district locals.
Keith was the son of Jack (John) and Gladys Rea. John was a plumber in Rosewood and Keith was his offsider on the job from the time he was five-years-old.
Skills learned helping his dad, were put to good use when Jack Rea passed away when Keith was 19.
“Dad became the man of the house looking after his mum and two younger sisters,” Keith and Marlene’s youngest child, Susie Richardson says in recounting some of the stories told by her parents.
Keith was rarely idle. He delivered newspapers around Rosewood on his bike as a young teenager and also worked at the Rosewood Telephone Exchange as a telephonist at night. He would also paint houses; ladder under one arm while hanging the paint tin on the handlebars of his bike, paint brushes in his shirt pocket.
He gained an apprenticeship as a fitter with Queensland Rail, working first at the Ipswich Railway Workshops and then at Redbank. He would remain on staff as a fitter for 48 years before his retirement.
Marlene was the daughter of Edgar and Violet Wendt, who owned a dairy farm at Haigslea.
Marlene would tell her children stories about rising before the sun was up to help with the milking, of leaning against the cows for warmth in winter and of milking the cows on a Saturday afternoon with her hair in curlers in preparation for the dance that night and of how the cows would swish their tail and knock the rollers out of her hair.
She, like Keith, was always busy. Marlene helped new mums with their babies and household chores, and later worked at the East Ipswich woollen mills.
Keith and Marlene first met at the Marburg dance … and that was it. No other suiter interested Marlene and Keith was attracted to no other girl.
They were married on Saturday, May 15, 1965. He was 22, she was 21.
Marlene was supported at the altar by her sister, Betty (Domrow) and her soon-to-be sister-in-law, Mavis. Keith was supported by his soon-to-be brothers-in-law, Bevan Wendt (passed away September 2024) and Ray Domrow.
Many of the guests were dairy farmers and had to be home in time for the afternoon milking, so the ceremony was held at 11.00am and the reception was a lunch at the Marburg Show Hall. The couple honeymooned at the Gold Coast.
As Keith was working in Ipswich, it only made sense for the couple to base their home in the city.
Initially, they rented a cottage in Brassall, joined the Building Society to become eligible for a home loan and when their turn came around, their family home was built in Hayes Street, Brassall.
Keith helped with the build and after they moved in, he used his carpentering skills to craft all the cabinetry.
They became the parents of Julie, Russell, Mark and Susan (Susie) who all attended Brassall State School and then Ipswich State High School.
“Dad and mum managed to raise four children on a railway worker’s income,” says Susie.
“They worked together in a simple life.
“Dad learned to do things himself to save money – he would concrete, fix the car, paint and renovate the house.
“If he didn’t know how to do something, he would ask around the blokes at work for advice.
“We always attended church every Sunday and most of the family are still faithful members of the Marburg Lutheran Church.”
They holidayed each year at the beach.
“Two adults and four children would be packed into the XY Falcon with precision packing of the boot by dad, with not one inch of spare capacity!” recalled Susie.
“Dad is a car man, a fanatic.
“His first car may have been an FJ Holden, but actually he’s really a loyal Ford fan.
“He always watched V8 supercars (formerly Touring Cars) and the Bathurst race is the highlight of his year.
“Dad’s cars are always clean, shiny and very well cared for – no eating in the car or touching windows when we were kids.”
Turning to her mother, Susie, explained that all her mum wanted in life was to be a good wife and the mother of four children.
“She feels truly blessed and thankful, she deeply loves her family.
“Mum kept us all well fed and clothed. She remains a devoted homemaker, loves gardening, loves socialising and is always willing to help anyone in need.”
Keith and Marlene’s happy marriage has also seen hard times but they have worked through things together and are a wonderful example of a strong partnership.
The couple have had health challenges in recent years but said they felt blessed to have reached their 60th wedding anniversary, which they celebrated with their children, ten grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.
“Together they have lived their married life with faith in God, love and forgiveness, hard work and determination,” Susie said.
“They made do – not needing the best and most expensive and were happy to work towards things.
“One of their favourite sayings is ‘a bird builds its nest one twig at a time’.”
