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Tributes at Tara Police Station for the two officers who died in the shooting,which killed six people including Train (inset).Credit:AAP,Supplied

After he left,Train became frustrated at the way the school was being run and its failure to implement his changes. He complained to the NSW Ombudsman,One Nation MP Mark Latham and local MPs.

His wife still works at the school,but did not know where he had gone. Before Train’s departure they were often seen together,walking their dog. Counsellors have been sent to Walgett to help the school community.

Queensland police were responding to a request from their NSW counterparts to check on Train at his brother’s property in the Darling Downs region,west of Brisbane,when theybecame involved in an apparent ambush that left two officers and a member of the public dead.

Special Operations police later shot dead three more people,including Train.

The primary and secondary schools in Walgett have been plagued by violence and high teacher turnover,but issues at the primary school were not as serious as those at the high school.

Train was a former principal of Yorkeys Knob State School in Cairns. He moved from Queensland to teach at the school in mid-2021,and was well respected by many Walgett locals,some of whom told this masthead they were shocked such a likeable man was involved in this horrific attack.

“He was for the kids,” said one teacher who worked with him. “He was about education and for the kids. I’m blown away that he’s done what he’s done. I found him quite personable. He knew what he wanted to achieve. Tidy things up,get it functioning properly.”

Another senior member of the community said elders had “total faith in him” as executive principal of the primary school. “He was wonderful. He was making some really important changes. We were supportive of him and trusted his intelligence. We hoped he would come back.”

However,after he left,Train became frustrated at the school’s failure to continue implementing his reforms. He complained to the NSW Ombudsman and sent frequent,furious emails – often many within short periods – to senior NSW Education Department chiefs.

In the course of two weeks in March,Train sent 16 emails to NSW Department of Education secretary Georgina Harrisson.

One person who saw some of the emails said they suggested fragile mental health. “They were quite out there,” the person said. “His mental health deteriorated post-Walgett.”

Train was also in touch with Latham,who has repeatedly raised concerns in parliament about the issues facing Walgett Community College. “He came to me with complaints about a lack of support from the Education Department and a lack of action,” Latham told this masthead.

His concerns centred on teaching standards and the performance of teachers’ aides at the school. “He left the school badly disappointed,” said Latham. “He said he was taking time out to recover from the experience[at the school] and the heart attack.”

Train’s frustration arose from his concern for the students,Latham said,who thought the tone and frequency of the emails reflected his frustration. “His heart was in the right place.”

Latham last heard from him five or six months ago,and then “he fell off the radar,” he said.

In a statement,the NSW Department of Education offered its condolences to the Queensland Police and the families and friends of those impacted by the tragic incident in rural Queensland overnight.

“One of the deceased was a former NSW Education employee who had not been working at a NSW school since August 2021. He officially left our employment in March this year.

“Extra counselling will be provided at the impacted school today and for as long as staff and students require support.”

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