Al-anwar Newspaper English news in Australia
The sails of Sydney Opera House will turn blue on Wednesday night to honour two brave police officers who died in Monday’s horrific siege across the border in Queensland.
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said the Sydney tribute was fitting for the pair who lost their lives after attending the rural Queensland property at the behest of NSW Police to find missing man Nathaniel Train.
“I also want to reiterate my comments yesterday and on behalf of everybody across the state of New South Wales, pass on our thoughts and prayers to the families of those fallen police officers in Queensland who died doing their job,” he said.
“I don’t believe our police, our bright our brave men and women in blue, get the recognition that they deserve a day in day out.
“By lighting the sails blue tonight, we show that we are standing alongside the people of Queensland and giving an opportunity for people across our state and the country to recognise the risks our policemen and women take every day to keep our community safe.”
Police Minister Paul Toole said police show incredible bravery every day.
“The devastating loss of Constable Rachel McCrow and Constable Matthew Arnold in the line of duty will be felt deeply by their loved ones, colleagues and every force and community across the country,” Mr Toole said.
“Tonight we light the sails blue in their honour — and to recognise every man and woman in blue who has made it their job to run towards danger to keep our community safe.”
Police Commissioner Karen Webb said the entire police family was in mourning.
“This touches police right across Australia and the community mourns alongside us,” Commissioner Webb said.
She said the inquiry into the attack was being led by Queensland, and she could not comment on the lines of inquiry.
When asked if the Train brothers were on a “watch list” Comm Webb said the four officers were responding to a routine inquiry when they were ambushed.
The sails of the Opera House will turn blue from 9pm Wednesday until dawn on Thursday.
HOW OFFICERS WALKED UNWITTINGLY INTO A MASSACRE
As the four young police officers pulled up to the isolated yellow-sided weatherboard home about 4.40pm on Monday, they had no idea that inside was a cache of ammunition and weaponry controlled by survivalist and conspiracy theorist Gareth Train, his wife Stacey and Gareth’s mentally-unstable brother Nathaniel.
It was a 43-hectare “hobby farm” at Wieambilla, 300 kilometres west of Brisbane, bought by Gareth and Stacey seven years ago where their wacky, but ultimately, deadly beliefs had festered.
Gareth had joined the online conspiracy, anti-authoritarian website Citizens Initiated Referendum where he has recently posted that he had been “ark homesteading for the past five years preparing to survive tomorrow” and had warned police off his property. Constables Rachel McCrow, 29, Matthew Arnold, 26, Keely Brough, 28, and Randall Kirk, also 28, had been sent on what on any other day would have been a routine welfare check. SW Police had asked their Queensland counterparts to check whether Nathaniel, 46, a former Walgett primary school principal, who had been reported missing on December 4, was at the property. It is believed his wife reported him missing to Walgett police.
