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The daughter of the harmless neighbor killed in final week’s violent shoot out at a rural Queensland property says her father was “everybody’s hero”.
Renee Richards paid a touching tribute to Alan Dare, who died together with two younger constables within the Wieambilla ambush, forward of his funeral on Friday afternoon.
“It has been tremendous exhausting,” she informed Seven’s Dawn on Friday.
“He was all the time our hero, then he is everybody’s hero. It is good that everybody is aware of his face, however it’s tremendous unhappy.”
Mr Dare, 58, was shot alongside constables Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow when he went to test on a hearth on the Wieambilla property of Gareth and Stacey Practice. The Trains, together with Gareth’s brother Nathaniel, are believed to have lit the bush blaze to flush out injured Constable Keely Brough, who was escaping the lethal ambush.
Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll confirmed on Thursday she would posthumously award Mr Dare the Queensland Police Bravery Medal.
The award “reflects the high regard for Mr Dare’s actions on that fateful day and public acknowledgment of his sacrifice”, a statement from Queensland Police said.
His family has been consulted and an event to honor his actions and present the award will be held on January 18.
A GoFundMe page “so Al can have the farewell service he deserves” has raised more than $92,000.
Mr Dare was a dearly loved husband and father, treasured “poppy”, loved son and son-in-law and loving brother, his funeral notice says.
“He was always going to help, always going to see what he could do, and see if he could help people,” Ms Richards told Seven.
“We don’t need a medal to know that he was a hero, but it’s good that he is getting one. I don’t know, it is so hard to take in, everything is happening at once.”
She said Mr Dare’s grandchildren were still absorbing the loss.
“They still think that he is coming home,” she said.
Friday’s service began with a procession from the Ipswich funeral home to Centenary Memorial Gardens, led by a parade of classic vehicles.
Meanwhile, Queensland police have released more details as they continue to probe the history of those responsible.
The three trains were killed in a firefight with specialist police during the December 12 tragedy at Wieambilla.
“We knew very little about the Trains and there was nothing that would have caused a particular flag for our members who attended on that day,” Deputy Police Commissioner Tracy Linford said on Thursday.
A warrant had been issued for Nathaniel after the former school teacher got bogged down trying to cross the Queensland border during the COVID-19 pandemic in December 2021, leaving two registered firearms behind.
His brother Gareth’s only history with Queensland Police was an offense of unlawful possession of a firearm in 1998.
Stacey Train had no criminal history.
– with AAP
