‘Mild mannered’ missing school principal at centre of bloody cop massacre

A missing ‘mild mannered’ former Queensland school principal was at the centre of a bloody cop massacre before he was killed in a dramatic firefight with special ops officers.

A “mild mannered” former Queensland school principal is at the centre of a bloody massacre where six people died – including two police officers – at a remote Queensland property on Monday afternoon.

Police officers were ambushed by camouflaged gunmen when they visited a property at Wains Rd, Wieambilla, south of Chinchilla, about 4.40pm during a routine missing persons inquiry.

Two young officers – Constable Rachel McCrow, 29, and Constable Matthew Arnold, 26, were murdered in cold-blood along with a neighbour – Alan Dare – who was also shot down and killed by armed gunmen.

Two men – Gareth Train and his brother Nathaniel – were killed in a dramatic firefight with special operations police later that night.

The woman killed at the property has been confirmed as Stacey Train, understood to be Gareth’s wife.

Former Yorkeys Knob State School principal Nathaniel Train is one of the gunmen who was shot by police at a Western Downs property on Monday night.

One of the Wieambilla gunmen, Nathaniel Train, has been revealed as a former principal of Far North Queensland school Yorkeys Knob State School and Walgett Community College Primary School in NSW.

A Department of Education spokeswoman confirmed Nathaniel and Stacey Train were both former employees.

“Nathaniel Train voluntarily resigned from the Department in March 2020, while Stacey Train voluntarily resigned from the Department in December 2021,” the spokeswoman said in a statement.

Described in a 2017 news report as ‘mild-mannered’, Mr Train was photographed with Christmas decorations in his beard.

“I don’t spend a whole lot of time looking at my beard but I’ve had it the last three years. It probably hasn’t been as long as this though. They went to a lot of trouble,” he said in 2017.

Nathaniel was the subject of a missing persons notice by New South Wales police.

Nathaniel Train was the subject of a missing persons report.

It’s understood he was last seen in Dubbo on December 16 last year but was still in contact with family members until Sunday October 9 this year.

It’s understood the request to attend the property came from Walgett police, where the missing persons report was lodged.

Sources have revealed there were warnings one of Nathaniel’s relatives had a strong dislike of police.

Nathaniel’s brother Gareth Train is understood to have lived at the Wains Rd property.

A Stacey Train was listed as a head of curriculum at Tara Shire State College, according to the school’s student handbook in 2019.

Tara Shire State College, about 45 minutes from Wieambilla, had a student body of more than 300 in 2019.

There is no record of Stacey Train currently being employed by Tara Shire State College, according to its most recent staff list on its website.

Stacey also ran to be a branch delegate as part of the Queensland Teachers’ Union for the Western Downs region, according to online documents.

CoreLogic data listed Stacey and Gareth Train as owners of a Wieambilla property and it is understood but yet to be confirmed that the pair are married.

The Wains Rd, Wieambilla where police were ambushed and executed.

NSW Police appealed on social media for information regarding Nathaniel Train’s disappearance on social media just last week.

One person commented that he was their children’s principal at Yorkeys Knob State School in Queensland’s far north.

“Oh no! Hope he is okay, good bloke,” another responded.

“Yeah, he was,” another agreed.

Train worked at the school as recently as 2019, when it came in at number 25 in a ranking of Queensland’s best NAPLAN results for the year, recording the best primary school results in the Far North.

Special operations police swooped on the scene after the shootings.

At the time, Train told the Cairns Post that “supportive parents, dedicated teachers and support staff” were key to the school’s success.

“We have a consistent delivery of teaching programs, a quality learning environment that focuses on every student being given the opportunity to be a successful learner and students that commit themselves wholeheartedly to their learning opportunities,” he told the publication.

“Our strategy continues to be for each student to strive to be the best they can be. NAPLAN is an opportunity to learn and provides all schools in Australia with point-in-time assessment. It is useful to everyone in education that is looking for continual improvement.

“The students, parents and teachers should be proud of their ongoing success. NAPLAN is reflective of what happens every day at Yorkeys Knob State School.”

One Facebook user who wished not to be named revealed she met Nathaniel Train at Bluewater just north of Townsville where he was “just out of university with a new wife”.

She said he was only briefly married with children, separating from his partner after “a couple of years.”

The woman said her children were taught by Train at the Bluewater State School where he started teaching in 1999, teaching the lower grades for “a few years.”

After his separation Train headed north and took a job as principal of the Yorkeys Knob State School in Cairns.

He then moved south again and became the principal of Innisfail East State School until at least 2013, attending the school’s 75th anniversary celebration in 2011.

In May 2020, Train became principal of the newly opened Cairns BUSY School campus at Manunda however he was later pictured at Walgett Community College Primary School in NSW in December 2020.

Walgett was Train’s last known workplace. It is unknown when he stopped teaching.

Constable Rachel McCrow, 29, was one of two Queensland police officers murdered in cold blood.

Constable Matthew Arnold, 26, was also murdered.

After the officers were shot, it’s understood the gunmen fired further shots into their bodies, and their glocks were taken.

A female officer – Constable Keeley Brough, 28 – managed to escape, fleeing into bushland during the terrifying ordeal while the gunmen hunted her down and reportedly started a bushfire in a bid to smoke her out.

She was rescued by fellow officers sent in to extract her. They also retrieved the bodies of their slain colleagues.

A male officer – Constable Randall Kirk, 28 – suffered a gunshot wound was taken to Chinchilla Hospital.

Police commissioner Katarina Carroll said the four officers were extremely exposed and ‘didn’t stand a chance’ as they walked along the driveway.

“I cannot believe two officers got out alive,” she said.

She said all three people killed in the firefight were considered suspects.