Residents of Tara are gathering to honour Rachel McCrow and Matthew Arnold who served their town
Members of the Police Service and public are gathering at the Tara Memorial Hall to honour Tara police Constables Rachel McCrow and Matthew Arnold who were murdered last week.
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Tara police officers Constables Rachel McCrow and Matthew Arnold served the Western Downs community of less than 2000 people with honour, duty and tragically, made the ultimate sacrifice.
Nine days after the young police officers were murdered on a Wieambilla property 33km from Tara, the town’s Memorial Hall filled with 60 people made up of Queensland Police Service colleagues, firefighters, SES volunteers, council workers, the young and old to watch the livestream of the Brisbane funeral for Constable McCrow and Constable Arnold.
The only sounds cutting the sombre silence are people overcome with emotion and the livestream of speeches from the funeral in Brisbane, with the streets quiet and largely empty.
SES and Queensland Fire and Emergency Service members gathered around their emergency crew colleagues in support at the front of the hall.
In a horrific and unprovoked attack, the pair who attended a rural property in Wieambilla in relation to a missing persons case, were ambushed and shot at close range by Nathaniel, Gareth and Stacey Train.
Former police officer Warren Turner, who along with his wife Debbie live about 16km from where the shooting took place, said the service was a fitting tribute to the lives of the two young officers.
“It’s a tragic thing for the whole community and I know that everyone feels the same,” he said.
“We were actually in Bowenville when it happened and we didn’t get home for about two days afterwards and we were in sheer disbelief that it happened so close to home.”
A long-time Tara resident, who declined to be named, said he had met both Constables McCrow and Arnold and was overcome with emotion during the memorial.
“We’ve got six police officers (in town) and two of them are gone, I don’t know what else to say,” he said.
“(The police) are going through it very hard, they’ve lost two of their own who were lovely people.”
Memorial services are being held across the State today to coincide with the funeral for the Constables at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Boondal.
Thousands are expected to attend the service in Brisbane, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.
Memorial services will also be held across the South West District including Chinchilla, Dalby, Miles and Tara.
Accompanied by their Chinchilla colleagues Constable Randall Kirk and Constable Keely Brough, who “miraculously” survived, the two Tara-based constables died at the scene.
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Originally published as Residents of Tara are gathering to honour Rachel McCrow and Matthew Arnold who served their town
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