Wieambilla shootout: From recluse and teacher to cold-blooded killers

There could hardly be a starker difference between the two brothers believed to have executed two police officers in the murderous ambush.

Nathaniel Train had been a principal at several schools around Queensland and NSW.

On the surface, there could hardly be a starker difference between the two brothers believed to have executed two police officers in the murderous ambush that left six people dead on a rural property in southeast Queensland.

Nathaniel Train, 46, was a seemingly respected educator who for more than a decade had changed disadvantaged students’ lives for the better across Queensland and NSW.

His older brother, 47-year-old Gareth Train, had become a ­conspiracy-addicted recluse nursing a hatred for police.

Nathaniel’s most recent stint was as executive principal of ­Walgett Community College Primary School in northern NSW, which has a majority Aboriginal enrolment.

He had earlier turned around the fortunes of students at the Innisfail East State School in northern Queensland, of which half the students are Indigenous.

Instead of accolades, Gareth leaves behind an online trail littered with conspiracy theories about police, the Catholic Church and the Port Arthur massacre.

He lived with his wife, Stacey, at a 44ha property on Wains Road in Wieambilla, south of Chinchilla, where the trio plotted the ambush.

In one ominous post, Gareth Train called police cowards and warned officers not to come to his home. “I have directed law enforcement to leave my premises over the last 20yrs, having no reason or grounds and at times have also asked them to remove their hands from their weapons or pull their pistols and whistle Dixie,” he said. “Fortunately for me they have all been cowards.

An aerial view of the scene at the property in Wieambilla where the shooting took place. Source: Nine

“Our country is at a point where even cowards are now dangerous because they are unpredictable in groups, turn your back and you may find yourself out cold on the floor with law enforcement dancing on your head. We are seeing this in Victoria.”

It is unclear what turned Nathaniel Train from highly respected educator to a likely cop killer but he left Walgett primary school last year after suffering a heart attack.

Former students, parents and community members paint a ­picture of him as a dedicated ­educator committed to teaching disadvantaged students. Former student Reegan Hanley said he had been her principal at Trinity Beach State School, north of Cairns, in the early 2000s and she had only positive memories. “He was a great principal,” she said. “You could walk down the hall and he’d be walking down opposite and he’d stop and have a conversation with you.”

Carla Hammond said her children attended Yorkeys Knob State School in far north Queensland when he was principal in 2017.

“He was always thinking about the kids’ learning and futures,” she said. “It’s sad to see this has ­happened.”

Another woman, who said she knew Nathaniel Train from when he was principal at Innisfail, said “he was loved by all at the school”. “We’re all sad to see him go,” she wrote in a social media post. “But, wow, this really shows how you never know anyone. Our hearts go out to his children and the lives lost because of his actions. Very sad day.”

NSW police launched an ­appeal for information on Thursday, saying Nathaniel Train had last been seen in Dubbo nearly a year ago but had maintained contact with his family until October 9 this year. He had been living with his wife, also believed to be a teacher, in a small townhouse in Walgett owned by the NSW Education ­Department.

He had failed to appear at Walgett Local Court on July 12 to contest cancellation of his licence and the application was dismissed after he failed to attend court.

The NSW Education Department said Train had ceased to be employed in March this year.

After he became unemployed, he raised allegations of teacher-­assisted cheating at Walgett primary school and emailed the Education Department 16 times in a two-week period in March 2022.

NSW One Nation leader Mark Latham. Picture: Gaye Gerard / NCA Newswire

One Nation NSW leader Mark Latham said Train approached him with concerns over the alleged cheating and the slain principal was left bitter and bruised by his experience with the Education Department. “He was a passionate school reformer who had to leave for a health reason but was determined for his work [at Walgett Community College Primary School] to go on and was dis­appointed when it didn’t,” he said.

Mr Latham disputed reports that the emails Train sent to the Education Department indicated a decline in his mental health.

“He contacted me as a passionate and concerned former principal whose sole motivation was the best interest of Indigenous kids and he had documentation that supported his complaint,” he said.

NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell told the Legislative Council earlier this year that Train had met department deputy secretary Murat Dizdar and educational leadership director Tom Ballard on May 11, 2021.

She denied he had raised allegations or provided material relating to cheating at the school.