Qld police could use Wieambilla land for retreat, training centre
The Queensland Police Union plans to buy a Darling Downs property where two officers were killed last week. Here’s why.
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The Queensland Police Union plans to buy the block of land where two officers and a bystander were murdered last week by a trio of crazed conspiracy theorists on the Western Downs.
The Courier-Mail has confirmed the union has asked the state government to resume the Wieambilla land, with the union planning to pay market price for it.
Four police officers walked into an ambush at a property in the Western Downs last Monday afternoon while looking for former school principal Nathaniel Train, who had been reported missing in country NSW.
Constable Randall Kirk and Constable Keely Brough escaped.
“I have approached the Queensland government for the QPU to buy the land at Wieambilla and we thank the Premier and appreciate the government being both supportive and encouraging of our proposal,” union boss Ian Leavers told The Courier-Mail.
“The QPU would never want to see this land fall into the hands of any other anti-vaxxer, pro-gun conspiracy theorist, sovereign citizens who may seek to utilise the reputation of this site to promote their own dangerous and warped views and that is why the QPU has an obligation to safeguard this property to protect the memories of the police who gave their lives.
“This site is one that we as police have a duty to protect and we will ensure its future use is both appropriate and sympathetic.”
Police minister Mark Ryan said he was “very supportive” of the land being owned by the government or police union.
“In my view that ground is now sacred ground,” Mr Ryan said.
“That is where the lives of two heroes of Queensland were taken, and I can think of no better way to preserve that forever.”
Mr Ryan said there would be discussions around how the land could be used.
“At the very least, I think there should be an opportunity for there to be a memorial and reflection space,” he said.
“We’re going to have those conversations, but I think it’s a good idea and it’s an important way for us to honour those two heroes of Queensland.”
Mr Leavers said the union would make sure an appropriate and meaningful memorial would also be permanently placed on the land to honour the memories of Constable McCrow and Constable Arnold.
“Preliminary suggestions from police to the QPU have been to use the land for a retreat for current and former police, and some police have suggested it could even be used as a training centre,” he said.
A government spokesman last night said the government was committed to working with the union to “safeguard this land for the future and will respectfully consider the proposal”.
The officers were murdered by Gareth Train, a doomsday conspiracy theorist with a hatred for police, his wife Stacey, a former school principal and Gareth’s brother Nathaniel, a former school principal.
They killed Mr Dare, shooting him in the back from about 150m away, after he heard shooting and saw black smoke from a burning police car the Trains had lit on fire.
The Trains were then shot dead by police after a stand-off with officers from the Special Emergency Response Team.
In the lead-up to the horrific murders, the Trains hid themselves in bushes and were waiting for police to arrive at their rural home before opening fire from about 40m away.
Investigators believe the Trains had been waiting and prepared for a considerable amount of time for police and detectives are understood to be examining whether they were aware crews were coming.
The trio had constructed makeshift “sniper hides” around their property and stashed ammunition in them.
They had trail cameras among the trees that sent notifications on movement and they dressed in camouflage gear.
Nathaniel was a registered firearms owner in NSW.
Mr Leavers has been calling for a national firearms register after the deaths of the officers and said the current registers state-run and problematic across jurisdictions.
It’s also unclear if the attending officers knew of Nathaniel holding a gun licence in NSW.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she wanted the national register raised at national cabinet and Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll has also backed the move.
In a further development, over the weekend a farmer said he reported to police that Nathaniel used an angle grinder to break the padlock on border gates on the Boonangar Bridge to get into Queensland while there was still Covid-19 restrictions.
The farmer told the ABC they found three loaded guns he dumped after the December 2021 incident, reporting to police the discovery of weapons and the Covid-19 breach. However police have refused to comment about the incident and if attending officers were told any of the background.
Property records show Gareth and Stacey Train paid $95,000 for the 43.5ha property in 2015.
On Sunday, detectives charged two men who they allege tried to steal two motorbikes from the Wieambilla property where two police and a bystander were killed last week.
Police said they would allege two men parked their car near the Wains Rd property about 2am on Sunday and travelled on foot through bushland to the house and shed area.
Two Tara men, one aged 23 and one aged 25, have been charged with one count each of unlawful trespass, stealing by looting and two counts of supply dangerous drug (cannabis) in unrelated matters.
They are due to appear in the Chinchilla Magistrates Court on February 2.
Funerals for Constable McCrow and Constable Arnold will be held at Boondall Entertainment Centre on Wednesday morning.
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