Wieambilla rescue heroes to be honoured for bravery

The extreme bravery of the Wieambilla extraction team will be formally recognised by the Queensland Police Service after inquest findings are handed down by State Coroner Terry Ryan.

The extreme bravery of the Wieambilla extraction team will be formally recognised by the Queensland Police Service after inquest findings are handed down by State Coroner Terry Ryan.

The heroic efforts of a group of local police who went into the property where Gareth, Stacey and Nathaniel Train had gunned down two of their colleagues and had a third trapped was detailed during a five-week inquest.

Constables Rachel McCrow and Matthew Arnold were murdered by the Trains, a trio of doomsday conspiracy theorists with a hatred of police, when they arrived at Gareth and Stacey’s Western Downs bush block to ask after Gareth’s brother Nathaniel.

Nathaniel, a former school principal, had been reported missing to NSW Police in his home town of Walgett.

Rachel McCrow and Matthew Arnold died at the hands of the Train family at Wieambilla.

The officers were with their colleagues, constables Randall Kirk and Keely Brough, when the Trains opened fire with high-powered rifles from sniper hides.

Constable Kirk managed to escape in a police car while Constable Brough hid in long grass for more than two hours as the Trains hunted her and set the bush alight to flush her out.

The trio also murdered their neighbour, Alan Dare, when he saw fire at the property and came to investigate.

The inquest heard local police – including more than a dozen officers referred to as the “extraction team” – put their lives at great risk to enter the property to rescue Constable Brough and retrieve the bodies of their fallen colleagues.

They made the call to enter the block instead of waiting for the highly-trained Special Emergency Response Team, believing that Constable Brough would be found and killed before the specialist unit arrived.

Counsel assisting the coroner, Ruth O’Gorman KC, spoke of the group’s bravery in her closing address.

“Not only were the actions of the extraction team appropriate, each officer was incredibly brave,” she said.

“They each volunteered to enter a highly dangerous situation, to save or attempt to save their fellow officers, knowing full well of the risk to their own lives.”

A Queensland Police Service spokesperson said the efforts of the extraction team would be recognised “when appropriate”.

“As coronial proceedings remain ongoing, it is not appropriate for the Queensland Police Service to provide further commentary at this time,” the spokesperson said.

“When appropriate, the QPS will recognise the actions of officers involved in the response to December 12, 2022.”

The coronial inquest sitting days have concluded, with Mr Ryan expecting to publish his findings in a number of months.