Qld police shooting: Alan Dare’s wife recounts last conversation

The wife of the neighbour slain along with two police officers in Queensland’s shock shooting has recounted their final conversation.

Alan and Kerry Dare (Facebook image)

The grieving widow of Alan “Al” Dare who was tragically killed along with two police officers at Wieambilla on the western Darling Downs has revealed her loving husband said “I’ll be back” before he left their family home on Monday afternoon.

Kerry Dare was organising her late husband’s funeral on Thursday as she spoke of the man who taught her how to be strong.

Mrs Dare said she heard the “last bang” which killed her husband, affectionately known as “Poppy Al” or “Rambo”, while she was on the phone to triple-0.

She said the couple heard gunshots that “went forever” but when smoke and explosions soon followed, Al and his 70-year-old neighbour Victor Lewis went to investigate the neighbouring Wains Rd property.

“I was talking to triple-0 for about a minute – (Al) drove out the driveway and said, ‘I’ll be back’ – I waved goodbye,” she said.

Mrs Dare said when Victor returned there was no Al and that within minutes the entire road was told to evacuate to a nearby command centre at the end of Mary Rd.

“I was then pushed further and further away. I was four kilometres away from my husband’s body. I didn’t know if Al was dead and neither did police … but if they did, no one told me,” Mrs Dare said.

Mrs Dare was then “forced” to wait five hours for confirmation that her hero husband had died.

She was told by police officers at the scene that Al would be brought out as soon as the three shooters – Gareth Train, his wife Stacey and brother Nathaniel – were killed.

The happily married couple would have celebrated their 26th wedding anniversary on Tuesday, the day after Al was shot dead.

Mrs Dare said she would spend most of her time with Al outside under a pergola on their Wains Rd property.

“He would kiss me every time he went back to his shed, to have a shower or go and check the mailbox, but on that day, when he left, he didn’t kiss me goodbye,” she said.

“I used to call (Al) my queen but he taught me to be strong.”

Mrs Dare said the response from the community had “overwhelmed” her family.

“We thought we were secluded out here but everyone seems to have known Al. He was always so calm and collected, just a beautiful person.”