The brothers behind the Vianbila shooting that killed two police officers and a neighbor had previously fallen out over one of them having an affair with the other’s wife, relatives said.
Guardian Australia has confirmed Gareth Train’s wife Stacey married his brother Nathaniel in September 1995 when they were teenagers. All three were killed by tactical police on Monday.
Gareth Train dead and obituary, Queensland shooting cause of death
Family members said Nathaniel and Stacy, high school sweethearts in Toowoomba, were both involved in an independent evangelical church led by the brothers’ father, the Rev. Ronald A Train.
Several years into their marriage — and after having two children — Stacey reportedly left Nathaniel to pursue a relationship with Gareth. The new relationship has created a rift in the wider family, including between the brothers and their ultra-conservative father, whose church has taken a hard line on marriage.
Gareth and Stacey later spent time in Proston, a small community in the South Burnett, Cairns and Mount Isa region, where Gareth worked as a school groundskeeper. About seven years ago, Gareth and Stacey bought the Wieambilla estate, where the film was filmed.
Stacey was principal at Proston School and was course director at Tara Shire State College, not far from Wieambilla, until she resigned last year. She is no longer qualified to teach.
A former colleague told Guardian Australia that Stacey had resigned due to the Queensland government’s teacher vaccination mandate that came into force this year. Gareth’s post suggests Covid footage is ‘not good’
It’s unclear what brought Nathaniel to his brother’s doorstep over the past year.
