EXCLUSIVE
A father of 10 has been banned for a year from entering the only supermarket 70 kilometres from his home after taking refuge inside following an alleged attack by two men.
David Maynard, 54, a local horse rescuer who lives near Tara in Queensland’s Western Downs, told police he was assaulted in broad daylight outside FoodWorks on March 30.
Two men have since been charged over the incident, but Maynard was left stunned when he was sent a letter threatening to arrest him if he tried to enter his local store.
She now faces a marathon 140km round trip to the nearest shop in Chinchilla, or 190km to the one in Dalby, to buy even the most basic groceries.
But Mr. Maynard’s car is currently out of service, forcing him to rely on his friends to do his shopping for him.
“I feel embarrassed asking people to do all my shopping so I rely on my friends to bring me milk, fish pieces, Weetbix and bread,” she said.
The ban came after an alleged incident involving Dallas locals James Dunlap, who was charged with one count of assault, and Darryl Anthony Taylor, who was charged with robbery.
David Maynard, 54, a local horse rescuer who lives in Tara in Queensland’s Western Downs, told police he was assaulted in broad daylight outside FoodWorks on March 30.
The horse rescuer’s one-year ban threatens him with arrest if he enters the town’s only supermarket, forcing him to rely on friends for food, which he says is “shameful.”
FoodWorks in Tara declined to comment when asked why the victim of the alleged attack at its store had been banned from entering the town’s only supermarket for 12 months.
On the day of the alleged attack, Mr Maynard had travelled 18km from his home to Tara to have lunch at the local cafe when he was allegedly approached by the two men.
His gold chain and Akubra hat are believed to have been stolen during the fight before he attempted to flee to safety inside the supermarket.
“I was having trouble breathing and staggered as I entered FoodWorks,” she said.
Mr Maynard says he was later taken to Tara Hospital with a broken rib and heart problems.
But in the wake of the alleged attack, he says he was stunned to receive the formal “No-Go Letter” from FoodWorks Supermarket Tara, informing him that he is “no longer authorized to enter or remain on the premises.”
His lockout, registered with the Tara Police, is the most serious ban (other than a lifetime ban) that the supermarket chain, which operates more than 200 stores, can issue.
Mr Maynard says he has not been charged over the FoodWorks incident and was stunned by the restraining order.
“How can this be right?” he said.
FoodWorks Tara declined to comment when contacted by Daily Mail Australia. Owners of Australian chain United Retailers have also been contacted for comment.
Charges against the two men over the alleged incident will be heard at Dalby Magistrates’ Court on July 30.
Horse rescuer David Maynard takes in and feeds animals that have been removed or abandoned on his property (above) north of Tara in western Queensland.
David Maynard has been banned from the only local supermarket for 70km following an alleged assault and robbery by two local men who have been charged.
Mr Maynard runs a volunteer operation to rescue abandoned or retired horses and was one of the locals who helped the community come together after the murder of police officers Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow in December 2022.
The young officers and local resident Alan Dare were shot dead in Wieambilla, north of Tara, in a Doomsday cult attack by brothers Gareth and Nathaniel Train and their wife Stacey Train.
After the shootings, as residents laid tributes outside Tara police station, Mr Maynard organised a gathering at the station for locals to observe a minute’s silence for those killed.
At the time, Mr Maynard said he had recently been speaking to Constable Arnold, an animal lover and advocate for women traumatised by domestic violence, about the possibility of organising a local football match between the community and emergency services.
Mr Maynard said at the time that mental health counselling services were lacking in Tara and when asked how the community was holding up, he added: “It is not.”