Local general-duties police officers formed a heavily armed “extraction team” to rescue their fallen colleagues, driving on to the Train family’s western Darling Downs property in the vehicle of the trio’s murdered neighbour while under fire.

Devastated members of two small communities gathered in the Western Downs Region last night to honour three local heroes who were killed in a fatal ambush at a rural Wieambilla property on Monday.

Hot chips down at the local pub could soon hurt the hip-pocket – or replaced with yams – as a nationwide potato shortage starts to bite.

And in sport, the biggest ever crowd for a Brisbane cricket Test outside the Ashes is set to gather at the Gabba as Australia takes on South Africa.

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