Vale: Jill Chettoe Toft (nee Perks)
17-07-1932 – 20-07-2025
JILL Toft had a special kinship with animals, especially Arabian horses, but no one cherished her more than her beloved family.
They also inherited her work ethic and her determination.
Co-founder of Bremervale Arabian Stud with her late husband Gordon Toft, Jill had connections around the world with horses and horse people.
Jill’s true love of Arabian horses was contagious. She happily helped many newcomers and was always eager to be called on for advice.
As well as travelling and importing and exporting horses, Jill was one of the first to conduct open nights that attracted large crowds of horse enthusiasts and the general public.
Most horse breeders would be proud to win Supreme Championships at Royal Shows, but Jill also won numerous Australian and international championships.
Jill Toft is survived by five children, 16 grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren and many of them have inherited her love of animals and land and have their own properties.
It was a great source of pride for Jill to see them follow their dreams in professions, careers, business, farming, education and family life.
Jill earned her own success with hard work, vision and determination.
She was born in Sydney on July 17, 1932. When she was young, her parents decided to undertake the long sea voyage to England with her and her brother Brian.
Jill’s father was highly respected in the plywood industry, and the family travelled to Canada as well as England.
Jill vividly recalled having to go into bomb shelters many times during the bombing of London in World War II.
She went to boarding schools Wycombe Abbey in England and Branksome Hall in Canada but didn’t like them because she missed her dogs.
Jill had a life-long love of animals, especially dogs and horses, and hoped to study veterinary science.
She often recalled riding her horse in parks in Canada. Sometimes the Mounties were also exercising their horses and Jill said they didn’t mind her tagging along.
Aged 17, Jill returned to Australia and met Gordon Toft, who had just finished studying horticulture at Hawkesbury Agricultural College.
She was 19 when they married and by the time she was 29, had six children – one girl and five boys.
The couple worked very hard and bought land at Kellyville in NSW, where they grew mushrooms for Edgell in the large sheds they built.
Always planning ahead, in 1962 Jill and Gordon bought a Queensland cattle property called Bremervale.
The children attended Amberley State School and even today, people recall how Jill followed her dreams and started Bremervale Arabian Stud at Amberley.
Jill and Gordon then bought a farm at Raceview; it was a good long-term investment and was also closer for the children to go to high school.
The Toft boys all played rugby league and wouldn’t go to Raceview State School unless it introduced league. Jill was instrumental in getting it established at the school.
The family supplied milk to the Jacaranda Dairy Factory at Booval until the horse stud became successful enough to stop dairying.
From humble beginnings, Bremervale’s success was a huge family effort, especially early on.
In a fitting tribute, Ipswich City Council named part of Jill’s property at Raceview: Ipswich Bremervale Park.
The park was also where Bremer Hack and Pony Club operated for many years. The first trail ride by the Ipswich and District Trail Riding Association also started there.
A road at Raceview was called Toft Drive in recognition of the family’s long-standing involvement in the district.
After a long, 10-year battle with cancer, Gordon Toft died in 1985.
Jill’s last big decision was to buy her dream property on the Brisbane River called Oxford.
It wasn’t long afterwards that she started having health issues.
Jill was fortunate to stay on the farm with her beloved horses as long as she did with the support of her family.
For the last 10 years, she lived at Cabanda nursing home in Rosewood, where she received the best care from nursing staff, doctors and family.
Jill’s fighting spirit, determination and stoic attitude amazed everyone, and she will be missed by many.
As Jill wished, her family will hold a private gathering to honour her memory and her ashes will be spread in a place she cherished.
